Response to "Christian Apps"

This is a response to Valdy’s post which can be found at: http://theinternetisthemessiah.blogspot.com/2012/03/christian-apps-theres-app-for-that.html

Valdy was really clever in identifying the use of religion in apps for smart phones. The ability of these applications to penetrate popular culture is truly phenomenal.  Can anyone deny the popularity and notoriety of “Angry Birds” (didn’t they make a movie about this game?) Like our class discussion on music and religion, Valdy argues that it is difficult to discern if organizations are being authentic and sincere when producing religious products within the context of a capitalist culture.

 I was watching television the other night when one commercial really caught my attention. As I was drifting off during an unusually long commercial break, an ad came on for a Christian dating site. “Christian Mingle” is advertised as being a site used to “Find God’s Match for You™”. Like any good eHarmony commercial, the Christian Mingle advertisement featured happy, attractive, heterosexual couples under perfect lighting, as a commentator emphasized the amazing powers of the site. I do believe that dating sites have become a frequentlyreferenced aspect of popular culture.

(To any 90210 fans: when I was looking for a picture to place in this blog post I came across this ad... Recognize someone? The "Christian single" in this picture happens to be Michael Steger who plays Navid on the new series of 90210)

When I looked up the website the first thing that caught my attention was that it was free to join. Unlike most dating sites, payment with registration was not needed. From its initial appearance, it did appear as though there was a heavy emphasis placed on the importance of religion in compatibility. However, when I noticed that they trademarked their slogan, ““Find God’s Match for You™”, I was reminded of Valdy’s post and how he questioned whether organizations can sincerely integrate religion in their products when they exist in a capitalist-consumer culture. Despite the fact that the service was free to join (unlike the apps Valdy discussed), religion could be still be employed for incoming generating purposes.

As I scrolled past the image of the happy couple on the webpage, I noticed they had a section dedicated to “Investor Relations”. This led to a page that had revenue calculated for every quarter that the website was in operation. Evidently, this organization has a great deal of interest in gaining investors, signing deals with advertisers and generating profit. I think Valdy is warranted in questioning if products that integrate religion and pop culture are purely authentic. In this case it is clear that critics would be suspicious of how Christianity is incoporated into popular culture as a means of participating in capitalist society. Do you really think the primary aim of this site is to link Christian singles or was it just a really great business concept directed at a large consumer group?