I Did Not Know

Abstract

At the turn of the twenty-first century church leaders and educators took for granted that Latter-day Saints shared the memory of Smith’s vision as their origin story and that it would automatically be transmitted to the next generation. Internet-empowered selectors and relaters disrupted that memory, however, leading many to question both the vision and whether they could trust the church regarding it and other points of history. Though slow to respond to the information age, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints remained the most powerful selector and relater of memory elements, and began introducing diverse and effective means of complexifying and solidifying a shared memory of Smith’s first vision.