Mormons Are Liking Facebook

Mormons, like a lot of people, are increasingly spending time on Facebook. And, like a lot of people, Mormons post regular updates on Facebook about their lives in passive voice and refer to themselves in the third person. For example, a Mormon on Facebook would never update, "I find endless uses for cream of mushroom soup." Rather, in Facebook parlance, a Mormon might update, "Kyla is finding endless uses for cream of mushroom soup." In this example, Kyla might enthusiastically also add a second pithy thought: "Yummy!"

Some Mormon updates might overtly tout Mo-hood by mentioning going to church, preparing a primary lesson, going to EFY, or recovering from a pioneer trek. (By the way, does one ever really recover from a pioneer trek?) Still, even when Mormons don't put it out there explicitly, Mormon updates can sound the Mo-dar. Here a few examples actual entries I have seen on Facebook within the past couple of days (names have been changed to preserve friendships--even those that are purely digital in nature):

• "LaDonna is writing in her journal."
• "Ammon is getting excited to plant a garden."
• "Melody is rearranging the pantry. Gotta love caselot sales!"
• "Jaxon is lamenting his dead garden."
• "Kimball is getting old...shoveling snow wasn't the joy it used to be...his back is aching, that snow was dang heavy."
• "LeVarr is drinking Coke out of an orange soda can (never mind why). To some Mormons, this would be the equivalent of whiskey in a brown paper bag."

Other Mormons show their Mo-hood by becoming facebook "fans" of things like Thomas S. Monson or the LDS church. Others, again show a little more subtlety and becomes fans of things like Twilight, the bob haircut, or Fry Sauce.

Mormons love Facebook. It is like Friends in the News, a virtual scrapbook, a mission reunion, and a way to stalk that special somebody in Helaman Halls all rolled up in one.

* You might consider joining a Facebook group of fans of this blog by clicking here. Thanks to Jennifer for setting this up.