Godllywood: A digital pedagogy for the evangelical woman

Abstract

The internet has allowed the expansion of media presence in the most varied sectors of society. Institutions and religious groups from the most diverse backgrounds take ownership and use the available technological communication resources to optimize their activities and objectives. Considering the approach to gender studies and media ecology from the perspective of tetradic theory, I intend to analyse the Godllywood programme, created by the Universal Church of the Kingdom of God (IURD), which is defined as a movement that raises the banner of ‘Holiness to the Lord’ through the formation of a ‘virtuous woman’. Based on the continuous broadcasting of videos and other files through social networks such as Instagram, Facebook and YouTube, in addition to a blog hosted on the church’s website, we seek to understand how such religious groups, based on apparently outdated ideological discourses, propose the renewal of female minds and a change in behavior based on the precepts of the word of God. The women who make up the audience for the Godllywood channel are mentored by a principal mentor and the Big Sisters, all wives of church bishops. In addition to Brazil, the programme is now present in several countries in the Americas ‐ including the United States ‐ and other continents such as Europe, Africa, Asia and Oceania. Based on the presentation of the programme and the challenges presented on the ‘Godllywood’ social networks, I intend to describe and analyse the discursive strategies used in these communication pieces.