A former member of the Mormon church has presented an intriguing theory regarding the phenomenon of many church members becoming online influencers.
Alyssa Grenfell, 31, was raised in a very strict household, but she managed to break free from that lifestyle and started prioritizing her well-being in her late 20s. This transformation began in 2017 when she relocated from Utah to New York.
The ex-Mormon has been openly discussing her personal growth and the path to liberation.
Recently, Alyssa shared her thoughts on YouTube about why certain church members become popular on social media. She mentioned Hannah Neeleman, Rachel Parcell, and Taylor Frankie Paul as examples.
She believes the church, commonly referred to as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was supporting influencers by providing them with travel and meals. She also mentioned that the organization was redirecting funds related to the term Mormon.
She initially explored the commonly cited explanation that Mormons have a penchant for journaling. She also noted that many Mormon women often have similar appearances, suggesting that they embody the ideal image of women. The blonde white woman said they are usually blonde and white.
She maintains that the Mormon church compensates Utah influencers. The church supports influencers by providing them with travel and meals rather than giving them cash. This is to prevent individuals from leaving the church and subsequently speaking negatively about it.
According to her, the church was allegedly concealing its sponsorship of these influencers to avoid angering current members who might object to their funds being used for social media personalities.
The ex-member disclosed her belief that the church was covertly using targeted ads and providing financial support to influencers through Google.
The church pays Google to ensure that an ad about the Mormon church is displayed. The price per click for the term Mormon is $24.71. Meanwhile, the cost of Mormon missionaries is $31.81.
Alyssa stated that, due to these specific ads, influencers from Utah were able to earn twice as much money as social media stars based in New York and Los Angeles.
She stated that the church aimed to attract a larger congregation.
By increasing public awareness through advertisements, the church is able to attract a more significant number of people.
At the end of her video, she mentioned that Taylor Frankie Paul may not fit the ideal image that the church wants to project (she allegedly became intoxicated and threw a chair at her boyfriend in a viral video), but they are still valuable because of the significant ad revenue she generates through Google AdSense, which can help attract new converts.
By emphasizing the importance of familiarity with the church, they understand that it increases the likelihood of people joining.