Ethical Scripture Engagement

Six Questions Towards Good Stewardship

Question 1 - Integrated into media habits?

by Andreas Ernst

The six questions we are now looking at come together in the form of a participatory planning and assessing process, based on research in audience behavior. This is taken from a longer presentation that we will share a link to in the near future, so you will be able to dive deeper into the Process and Theory behind this research.

Media research has shown that the overload of information due to the spread of information and communications technology (ICTs) increasingly leads people to limit their media intake to the kinds of media which satisfy their felt needs. This phenomenon has been described in the Uses and Gratifications Theory, or UGT for short (Ruggiero, 2000).

The same selective media behavior can be seen in how media technologies are adopted: “Simply because a new media device or platform has become available is no guarantee that many people will go on to actually use it” (Vokes, 2018).

In other words, we cannot assume that our content will automatically be accessed simply because technologically speaking it is now available. In fact, as we will see later, even if it is being liked, clicked on or shared, this is still no guarantee for impact. However, before we can begin to talk about how our content may or may not change lives, we must ask ourselves: How can we effectively reach our audiences despite their selective media habits? The answer lies in adapting to the communication habits of our audience:

“In the attention economy, no one owes you their attention, you have to earn it. Attention cannot be purchased the same way that it could five, 10, 20 years ago, when we had a handful of TV channels to entertain us. [...] It’s not the 1950s and you cannot Don Draper yourself to success by yelling at strangers via billboards, purchased email lists, random mailings, and the like. Manipulating people and tricking them into spending their most precious resource— attention—does not lead to trust, and won’t result in long-term marketing success” (Campbell, 2020).

As Picard puts it, “most people have media habits that are fairly stable as long as they meet the individual’s needs and wants. These habits save time” (2000). The big question therefore is how to become a part of the already existing media habits of our audience. What platforms does our audience already use, and for what purpose? What type of content is needed to gain and maintain the interest of our audience considering these media habits? We often create media content for our target audience first, and then look for ways to distribute this content. However, as we discover the communication channels and content preferences that are already in place, we realize that our audiences are not likely going to give up their existing habits just because we have some new content to offer in their mother tongue. Rather, in order to get quantity, our content needs to be tailor-made for the media habits of our audiences: Does my audience tend to listen to radio, or learn and educate others through face-to-face conversations? Does it watch TV, or is it more likely to be on social media? When during the day or week does my target audience use one or more of these platforms, and who else is involved? Does my audience have access to the internet? How does it use cell phones (mobile phones), and what types of phones does it use? How frequently does it use such communication forms or technologies? By first understanding the media behavior and habits of our audience, we are in a better position to create the right content for the right platform. Doing so is not an optional, clever communication trick. It is quite simply the only way to reach our audience effectively. Sometimes we hear statements about the rapid spread of technology and how easy it has become to reach anyone anywhere. However, in reality quite the opposite is true. The more technology-saturated we get, the more our media filters kick in to protect ourselves from information overload. This is a challenge that is not about to go away.

Another reason why we can no longer be satisfied with simply ‘getting our content out there’ has to do with the difference between information and transformation. I think we can all agree that simply receiving information does not automatically change the way we think or act. From a ministry perspective, Jones puts it like this:

“Jesus didn’t tell us just to reach nations; he told us to teach nations. Reaching can be passive, not requiring much effort beyond being seen. Teaching, however, requires capturing attention and fostering conversation” (Jones, 2020).

In other words, understanding the media habits of the people we serve has to do with conversations. And conversations have to do with regularity and continuity. As we come to understand the role of media habits in shaping the beliefs and behavior of our target audience, we will soon realize that creating one or two one-time products for our audience does not really allow us to sufficiently earn their attention, never mind having a conversation with them. There are many other media channels and platforms out there which put out content on a much more regular basis than we will ever be able to. Many of these channels are more engaging to our audience because of their regularity and conversational nature. Publishing an app in a given language, for example, will not suddenly lead to people regularly using apps or engaging with us about faith topics. Users may download it once and find it exciting. However, if their media habit consists in talking to others, listening to radio, or chatting via WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, you will need to use additional communication forms or content which will keep your audience interested and engaged–in other words, to fit the “Eyes” chart, “Integrated.”

Don’t get me wrong. Tools such as audio Bibles and Bible apps have an important place in Christian media, but they need to be embedded in the media habits of users. To achieve this, Bible products need to be used in an environment of regular interaction which includes regular content output. This would be more likely to earn the attention of your audience, grow your listenership/viewership over time as well as promote meaningful engagement. If for example your main audience for your Bible app listens to radio on a regular basis or uses Facebook, why not start a Facebook conversation based on the app or hold a weekly radio quiz show which encourages listeners to find answers in the app? Connecting to your audience in this way on their terms is likely going to be far more effective than assuming the app will change lives by mere download.

Realizing that keeping conversations going is key to becoming a part of the media habit of our audiences not only helps us create the right kind of new content. It also helps us improve our existing content. For example, say you want to use a Bible app alongside a Bible discussion group on radio or Facebook. This may inspire you to add the corresponding Bible study references and questions to your app so your audience can read the upcoming questions ahead of time in order to prepare their own personal responses, testimonies, or follow-up questions. This may even encourage them to call the radio during the next live Bible study to share their views.

One final observation: More than anything else, social belonging and learning are the most influential factors when it comes to shaping our media habits. As human beings we have a deeply rooted need to learn from and follow other people we trust. We also have a strong need to belong to social groups in which our own perspectives are also heard and appreciated. This is why, as we will soon see, interactivity is one of the main impact factors for effective media programs. However, let’s first look at the impact factor Identification with content. This factor is closely related to Integrated into media habits. It looks at content design questions to ensure we are not only reaching our audiences, but also doing so in a way that is appealing to them.

A practical story of integration…

In 2013, two of my audio production students from a village in Northern Cameroon had the task to prepare and facilitate a debate. The reason for choosing a debate as our communication format was to do with the habit of rural community members to sit together in the evenings, to discuss the day and any other matters that come up. To effectively reach these community members, we realized our communication approach had to be integrated into their media habit of social gatherings and oral exchange of information and opinions. On the day we recorded our debate, two youth showed up and began to criticize my students for working with a white person, without being paid for it. However, my students invited them to join the debate in the small church with simple mud benches. In fact, one student asked them to take on a major role as main debaters in his debate topic, which was on the issue of suffering. Their assigned position was that suffering was the consequence of being abandoned by God, while the opposing party argued that suffering can also be a part of God testing our faithfulness and a reality we face in this fallen world. Because these two young mockers actually believed the position they took on, they argued so effectively and with all their heart, that their arguments and examples shed a great deal of light on the false beliefs that lead to doubt or anti-christian attitudes in this setting. However, this also offered an opportunity to the debate leaders and other members of the audience to respond with their own arguments and examples, both from their personal lives as well as from the Scriptures. It was a heated debate and it was clear that everyone was taking part, heart and mind. Even the two young participants clearly thoroughly enjoyed the whole process, and wanted to know in the end, when and how they could take part in the next debate. What I didn't know until three weeks later, is that the news of this interactive, culturally integrated experience of discussing God's Word spread so fast, that my two students were invited to hold more debates in five more churches in neighboring villages, including recording the debates with their simple phones and sharing them via Bluetooth with other community members.

Text and images are based on a presentation from the

Bible Translation Conference 2025.

Andreas Ernst is a consultant for SE and SIL Media and directs media training for SIL Global. He was born in Cameroon and has lived and served in Africa for most of his life. He has a passion for building local media capacity and entertainment- education programs; the latter can draw on people’s testimonies to make the Scriptures come alive. Andreas studied contextualized theology at Redcliffe College in the UK and has an MA in literacy program development from Gloucestershire University.

Contact Andreas with the contact form on this website.