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IS Students Redefine Truth in Cyberspace

From social networks that tout more members than there are people in many countries to iPods™ with greater storage capacity than many desktop hard drives, cyberspace has redefined the global world. High-tech, ultra-sleek cell phones send more text messages daily than there are people in the world, while a mass of blogs brushing every subject known to mankind dominate what Elder M. Russell Ballard declared at the December 2007 BYU-Hawaii Commencement as, “A whole different world.” In an era of fast-paced innovation of technology and thought, the Internet emerges as a vital lifeline that connects culture, commerce, and countries like never before.

With great progress, however, creeps in great threat. Despite all of its infamous glory as perhaps the world’s most successful entrepreneur, redefining communication, business, and government, the Internet also harbors a discrete cesspool of vile and filth. Elder Ballard instructed BYU-Hawaii students to not only steer away from the filth but to use this new media to become actively involved in progressing the work of the Lord.

Five months later, Jeff Jensen, a Junior IBM from Arizona, and Michelle Black, a Senior IBM major from Colorado, (pictured above) worked together as one of many teams enrolled in IS 330 this spring to do just that. “We are living in a world saturated with all kinds of voices because now, more than ever, we have a major responsibility…to define ourselves instead of letting others define us." Elder Ballard’s words resonate strongly in the minds of those in this management information systems course, taught by Dr. James Lee, who took Elder Ballard’s words to heart to spread the most valuable knowledge of all: the truth. Elder Ballard told Dr. Lee, Associate Professor and Information Systems Program Chair at BYU-Hawaii’s School of Computing, “I want you to get your students actively involved in this new media.” Dr. Lee in turn asked his students, “To consider that this assignment is coming directly from Elder Ballard, a General Authority, right to you.”

For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ. (Romans 1:16) BYU-Hawaii students are not ashamed of their knowledge and in fact are very proud of their testimonies, and they have sought to further the work of the Lord “by stating what you know to be true,” as Dr. Lee decisively explained. Working together in teams, IS 330 students explored the realms of the Internet to create and inspire clarity and truth. “Your outreach can be international.” He added.

With the onslaught of media attention to recent events from politics to the renegade FLDS sect, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints face a responsibility to dispel defamation caused by rumors that echo with slander through the airwaves and libel that swirls through Internet forums. IS 330 students welcome the opportunity to share the truth and gospel with others. These students have devised outlets to reach out and share their knowledge using almost every conceivable online medium. Nathan Graff, a Senior IBM major from St. George, Utah, explained, “There are so many mediums to use; it’s a matter of choosing the right one to spread the right message.” Graff’s team explored the possibilities of using information websites, blogs, and PDA and other handheld devices to express their views. To exemplify the communication power of the popular social networking site Facebook to create team-coordination, Graff’s team created a group open to all Facebook members entitled, “How many LDS people can we reach in 72 hours?” The group reached more than 1,000 users, including many non-member users, sparking discussion and questions that encouraged truth by suggesting LDS members as the source for resolution. Another team also utilized Facebook, reaching several hundred more members on a site with incredible outreach potential: 75 million members with more than 250,000 joining each day. The top three largest LDS Facebook groups comprise more than 100,000 members and are open to all interested in learning about the Church, creating a revolutionary means to promote missionary work.

Students also explored the infinite potential of the popular online video streaming site, YouTube. According to the New York Times, by one estimate the YouTube, owned by Google, consumed as much bandwidth in 2007 as the entire Internet did in 2000. The ability to post comments, upload personal videos, Church-sponsored advertisements, and even stream General Conference clips provides access to an enormous audience that reaches far beyond the constraints of traditional satellite, print, and other media that until now, have never traversed across some international borders. Students asserted that, “Satan is smart. He will try to manipulate technology and destroy its positive purposes. We, however, can use technology to share what we know with the Church, with each other, and most importantly for others outside the Church to help welcome them in.” Chat rooms, notoriously known for the possible shady character or two, have instead been created safely by the LDS Church to encourage positive discussion, as well as provide valuable learning opportunities for missionaries at the Missionary Training Centers across the world to interact with prospective members that may be in circumstances that no tracting missionary will ever otherwise find them.

Students voiced their beliefs on Skype™, an Internet-based computer to computer calling service has eliminated sky-high telephone prices and replaced them with a new opportunity to, “put a face with a name,” as a representative of Christ.

Students recognize that with the invention of satellite technology, the LDS Churched launched the ability to broadcast its semiannual General Conferences live from Salt Lake City across the world. Even still, however, some remote areas were unable to receive direct transmission. IS 330 students decided to explore what could change that. They discovered that with the Internet’s ability to stream in real-time its Conferences combined with the outreach of the LDS Church’s flagship websites, some locales, such as the Canary Islands off the coast of Morocco, now enjoy live coverage of the Conference. Not only does the LDS Church promote technology and utilize its innovative opportunities, members have made this technology usable by infusing their own abilities to establish a truly global outreach. The LDS Church has the world’s second largest and most diverse live-translation capabilities, translating its General Conferences into more than 80 languages, trailing behind only the United Nations. By then uploading these audio and video links online, members in virtually every corner of the globe with Internet accessibility can access and listen to the words of the Lord in their native languages.

Students explained that despite a computer on what appears every desk in the United States, North America accounts for only 28% of worldwide Internet usage. Without online tools with intercontinental reach, three-quarters of the world might otherwise be unable to learn about the Church. With more than half of its members outside the United States, the LDS Church understands the importance and power of advancing its capabilities to communicate and leave an international influence on the world. The Church has launched several domains that link directly to its official website, www.lds.org, and most recently launched another missionary-work centered site, www.jesuschrist.lds.org that, "Reaffirms testimony of the Savior Jesus Christ." These websites now provide, "Printed material in nearly 100 languages and virtually every desired resource surrounding the LDS Church."

As we are blessed with an abundance of tools to spread the work of the gospel, the world bears witness to the prophecy in Revelation 14:6 thanks to the emergence of new media that never could have been conceived before. And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.

Whether sounding from missionaries trekking across the world, in print, or across the waves of the wireless world, this Gospel is truly one without borders. Just as Elder Ballard inspired, BYUH students have already begun to implement, maintain, and plan for new opportunities to use this new media to spread the truth. “Make it a part of your everyday experiences in life.” Dr. Lee counsels, “Now, let’s continue to do it.”