Social Media

Book of Mormon 365 shares a new Instagram post every day with the verses to read and a question to ponder or discuss. Here's how to join:

People were expressing love, sympathy, and gratitude at a rate that seems unheard of on Facebook.

How do people react to meeting missionaries on their doorstep? Watch this hilarious TikTok video to see one couple’s reaction.

1 year. 1 book. 1 better life. Follow along to read the Book of Mormon in bite-sized sections.

Church members recently had a unique opportunity for a live Q&A with Elder Bednar as he ministered and answered questions one by one.

Elder David A. Bednar has never been one to shy away from the power and influence of social media. And the Church’s “Strive to Be” Instagram account just shared his 3 tips for sharing the gospel online.

“A mother looks down at the baby in her arms and realizes that this perfect little infant is trying to wordlessly get her attention. In the sweetness of that moment, the Spirit softly whispers thoughts and impressions to her mind.”

Here are four suggestions to change your social media experience so that it positively influences your life.

Fatima Dedrickson still remembers her first day on the campus of Brigham Young University. Every person she passed was staring at her.

“Never in my wildest dreams did I think that I would have my long-awaited newborn in the middle of the largest global crisis our generation has ever known.”

Members of the general presidencies of the Relief Society, Young Women and Primary general presidencies of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints now have official Instagram accounts to expand their global ministries. The photo- and video-based social media platform is used by millions of people around the world, including many young adults and youth.

The username of the official Twitter account of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is now @Ch_JesusChrist. This change better emphasizes the name of Jesus Christ, the Church’s central object of worship. The adjustment also helps Twitter users mention the Church more clearly in tweets and personal profiles. Those who already follow the Church’s official account (previously @ChurchNewsroom) do not need to re-subscribe.

We've enjoyed a marvelous general conference weekend with many uplifting messages and exciting adjustments. In order to carry the joy and memories of this weekend into our lives moving forward, here's a look at the best Twitter reactions from the October 2019 general conference.

To help you live the timeless advice of President Hinckley, here are some hilarious tweets that will brighten your day. And remember, as Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin taught, "The next time you're tempted to groan, you might try to laugh instead. It will extend your life and make the lives of all those around you more enjoyable."

While once we viewed the world only through our two round eyes, now we examine it through thousands of tiny squares, perfectly cropped and curated, through which we look, scroll, admire, and double-tap. I mean, if you did not put it on your Instagram story, did it really happen? If you don’t have a “K” attached to the number beside your name, are you really an influencer? In our society of travel bloggers and “momfluencers,” where anyone and everyone can be a star (as long as the algorithm says you are), are we truly being #authentic?

Four years ago, Mattias Krekula made a life-altering mistake: he sent a friend request to the wrong person.

In an October 2018 general conference address given to the women of the Church, President Russell M. Nelson issued the now well-known invitation of a 10-day social media fast.

I remember riding in the back of a cramped truck through the dirty streets of Santiago, Chile, en route to my very first general conference as a full-time missionary. As we navigated the small, crowded roads on our way to the local Stake Center, one senior missionary clicked on the radio which began playing a Tabernacle Choir CD. Involuntarily and instantly, I was flooded with nostalgic images and emotions of general conference back home in Idaho. I couldn’t help but wonder what my family was doing right at that very moment as they and I prepared for the same marvelous event, at the same exact moment, but in entirely different hemispheres.

Mindy McKnight didn’t plan to have millions of followers on YouTube—she just wanted to give her daughters cute hairstyles. She began snapping photos of the creative hairdos and putting them in a book so her daughters could choose their look every morning. When ward members and friends asked Mindy to give them tutorials, she decided to start a blog with picture tutorials.

You have probably heard the news that the Church changed its guidelines regarding missionaries and communication with their families. Instead of waiting for Christmas and Mother's Day, missionaries can talk to their families once a week via text, online messaging, phone calls, and video chat in addition to writing letters and emailing family members.

All Brittany wanted was someone to fight for her and her five siblings.

The missionaries called her sassy. Today over 1,200 people know her as SassyDaySaint.

The First Presidency and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles are now using Instagram to share the light of Jesus Christ with millions around the world.

Anyone who knows me may be shocked to learn that I have a secret addiction to social media, namely Facebook and Instagram. While I enjoy sharing posts from time to time, what I really love is seeing what my 1,500 closest friends all over the country are up to. I love scrolling through their greatest accomplishments, funniest moments, and pictures of their adorable kids and pets.

Thanks to the Deseret News for making us aware of this story.

Social media. We all have our icons of choice. The red and white of Pinterest, the camera of Instagram, the blue bird of Twitter, the weird ghost of Snapchat—we all have our go-to app when we want to veg out for a while.

Like many women around me, I decided to participate in the invitation President Nelson extended to the women of the Church to fast from social media for 10 days. He said, “I invite you to participate in a 10-day fast from social media and from any other media that bring negative and impure thoughts to your mind.” This was one of four invitations all under the overarching objective to “shape the future by helping to gather scattered Israel.” Here are three experiences I had during my 10-day fast that I hope you’ll find beneficial as you navigate your use of social media in the future.

President Nelson recently challenged the sisters in the Church to fast from social media (or any media “that bring negative and impure thoughts”) for 10 days. He invited us to participate and then evaluate the changes we would see in our lives at the end of the fast.

My initial reaction to hearing about the social media fast was reluctant. Social media is a large part of my job, and I knew it would be impractical and difficult to stay away from it for 10 days. I soon realized that the reason I felt this was the negative commentary also appearing on my social media feeds. I hadn’t even had a chance to listen to the talk myself, yet I was allowing others to determine its effect on me. So I decided to participate — if not for the sake of obedience, then for my own sanity and mental health.

I have a distinct memory of sitting in a junior high school math class, tearing a piece of paper from my binder, and scribbling a note for my friend who sat a few desks in front of me to see if he had plans for the weekend. I folded the note as small as I could, waited for a time when the teacher wasn’t looking, then passed it forward. Over the course of 45 minutes of stealth, the two of us resolved to meet at the bike racks after school and decide what to do next. Today, I can press a button on my watch, speak a message, and have it sent to someone halfway across the world in a matter of seconds. Technology has absolutely transformed the way we communicate and interact with each other.

Latter-day Saints from all over the world tuned in to general conference last weekend and were spiritually fed by the words of our prophet and Church leaders.

This article was originally posted after President Russell M. Nelson issued a challenge to the youth to fast from social media for seven days. In light of the new challenge, given by President Nelson in the general women’s session of conference last weekend, we thought this article would be a great reminder of the benefits and blessings of social media fasts.

"As I sit here in the Salt Lake City airport, I’ve been pondering about the last couple days I was able to spend in Utah with all my family," Latter-day Saint Bryce Harper posted on Sunday, and for good reason.

After a general conference weekend like the one we experienced last April, there are too many emotions and too many words to summarize what we all witnessed. Solemn assemblies. Priesthood quorum changes. New apostles. Home and visiting teaching gone. And then that mic drop of seven new temples announced, including in Russia and India. As Elder Holland quipped, "President Nelson, I don't know how many rushes we can handle this weekend. Some of us have weak hearts. But, as I think about it, you can take care of that too."

Over 49,000 members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints came to the Seattle Mariners' Safeco Field on Saturday. It wasn’t “Mormon Night” for the Mariners and the Church members didn’t come to watch baseball at all. It was the largest “non-sporting event in the history of Safeco Field,” and the second largest event the venue has ever hosted, according to the Deseret News.

It seems impossible. How could an ancient record that was written before modern-day technology teach us about social media? Surprisingly, the Book of Mormon is full of lessons we can apply to social media and how to use it for good.

It's a well-known fact that there are many great ideas on Pinterest that are cute, helpful, or just plain clever. It's also well-known that Mormons love Pinterest. It enables us to find new recipes to try for family or church events; it helps us to find inspiration; we can use to share the message of the Gospel; and Pinterest provides dozens of thrifty ways to make our homes look pleasant without spending a lot of money. It's also a well-known fact that some of these Pinterest ideas end up looking nothing like their internet counterparts.

If you haven't already seen, Utah Jazz rookie Donovan Mitchell's name is all over Twitter today, though he probably wasn't expecting all the attention.

What originated as a quick and simple way to stay in touch with family and friends over time turned into a distraction from responsibility and a way to escape the daily challenges of a stay-at-home mom of three young children. There would always be another reason to scroll, like, and post; and though I was usually passive on social media, I felt the pull of the “flaxen cord” and seemed unable to unplug on my own. Good intentions evolved into a bad habit of wasting time (2 Nephi 26:22).

Social media—it's a great place to share our faith, our beliefs, and our . . . unique culture. Here are just a few clever examples of those who are not afraid to share a little about what it means to be Mormon online.

Are your friends off of social media this week? Did your FHE about the Holy Ghost not go quite as planned? You're not alone.

Whether or not you were tuned into President Nelson's worldwide devotional last night, you probably have already heard the news: the youth are taking a seven-day social media fast.

In 2014 during a keynote address at Education Week at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, Elder David A. Bednar invited Church members around the world to use social media to #sharegoodness. He said:

“Finding our purpose is never a one-time event; it’s literally the work of our lives. It’s what we were created to do over and over and over again,” CEO of Deseret Network International Amy Antonelli told the Deseret News during an interview in her office in Salt Lake City.

LDS author Seth Adam Smith was surprised when he discovered one of his most-read articles had been turned into a video shared by Star Trek star and social media tycoon George Takei.