| Social networking technologies have altered communication patterns. Information spreads faster, network connections can now be visualized, and anonymity has decreased as sites like Facebook have encouraged the use of real names. For religious organizations throughout the United States, many already reeling from dramatic shifts in religious practice, these changes in communication have been experienced acutely. It has been difficult for the technology to be embraced, adopted, and integrated into organizational processes. Applying the Technology Acceptance Model (Davis, 1989), this dissertation explores issues surrounding adoption of social media in United Methodist churches by identifying how social media are used and what prevents these tools from being adopted.;Two studies were completed to develop a comprehensive view of technology adoption in nonprofit organizations. First, qualitative interviews (N=27) were conducted with religious organizational leaders. Results from this study identified a number of uses for social media, like sharing announcements, proselytizing, and congregational monitoring. Barriers to adoption, including insufficient manpower, lack of time, and an inability to achieve critical mass, were revealed. Second, interview data were used to develop scales measuring perceived barriers, perceived efficacy, and total social media usage. A survey instrument was sent to a national sample of United Methodist pastors (N=403). Results from this study provide empirical support for the TAM while developing new measures for perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. When taken together, these studies present a new, practical method for applying the TAM while revealing interactive effects between unique attributes of social media and unique characteristics of religious organizations.;Findings suggest that social media, when coupled with characteristics of churches, create unique issues with which these religious, nonprofit organizations must struggle during the process of adoption. As a result of these struggles, two problems arise: additive complexity, the process of including social media means more work for office administration and higher possibility of incorrect information being spread; and digital divide, because social media rely on technologies like computers, there is a possibility that large portions of the population, like older members, are excluded from organizational conversations. The ability to adopt and integrate social media successfully into churches depends upon the organizational response to these challenges. |
