New Articles on Religion and New Media Demonstrate Interdisciplinarity of Field

The growing interdisciplinarity of the of this field of study can be seen in the range of venues publishing research on religion and new media in early 2012. Five recent article have been produced in the fields of Area, Media and Religious Studies as well as Economics. More details are given below.

Innocent Chiluwa (2012) Online Religion in Nigeria: The Internet Church and Cyber Miracles, Journal of Asian and African Studies

This study examines the use of the Internet and computer-mediated communication for Christian worship in Nigeria. The seven largest and fastest growing churches in Nigeria are selected for the study, highlighting the benefits and dangers associated with online worship. The utilization of the Internet to disseminate the Christian message and attract membership across the world, and the dissemination of religious tenets and fellowship online, have resulted in the emergence of the ‘Internet church’ for members who worship online in addition to belonging to a local church. Most interesting is the increasing widespread claim of spiritual experience or ‘miracles’ through digital worship. However, there is fear that online worship endangers the offline house fellowship system, which is viewed as the reproductive organ of the local offline church. Exclusive online worshippers are also said to be susceptible to deception and divided loyalty. More info found at: http://jas.sagepub.com/content/early/2012/01/24/0021909611430935.abstract

Stephen Jacob (2012), Communicating Hinduism in a Changing Media Context. Religion Compass, 6: 136–151.

New media forms have a range of implications for the way in which the Hindu community is conceived and Hinduism is practiced. Oral modes of communication continue to have a significant role in the communication of Hinduism, however, Hindus have also made effective, and often innovative, use of all media forms. The use of print made by Hindu reformers, such as Rammohun Roy, was an important feature in the conceptualization of Hinduism as a ‘world religion’. Print technology also made possible the proliferation of visual images, which have now become incorporated into the devotional practices of many Hindus. Hindus have also developed unique genres in film and television, drawing on the rich narrative traditions of Hindu mythology. Hinduism can also be found in cyberspace. Online darśan, online pūjā services and other uses of the Internet have enabled Hindus, both in India and in diaspora, to maintain a connection with gurus, sacred places and other aspects of tradition. These developments in communication technologies are important in understanding Hinduism today, and the way in which it has evolved in a global context. More info found at: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1749-8171.2011.00333.x/abst...

Thomas E. R. Maguire (2012) Journal of Arab & Muslim Media Research, 4(2/3): 237-252.

Although Islam promises to play an increasing role in the public life of Muslim societies, scholarly analysis often falls short in comprehending the complex and diverse nature of this revival. As Middle Eastern societies open to wider public participation, the emergence of an active Muslim polity seems irrepressible. Yet onlookers from afar worry that Islam will only find political expression through narrow and intolerant ideologies that subvert democratic principles. This article seeks to understand the complex evolution of Islamism, and explain how its restricted and often superficial expression through media may reflect a stunted beginning rather than a permanent state of regressive fundamentalism. Through a case study of Huda TV in the era immediately preceding the rise of social media, this article shows how the powerfully repressive context of Middle Eastern media ensured the enduring stagnation of a nascent political discourse. More info found at: http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/intellect/jammr/2012/00000004/F002...

Christopher Smith, Richard Cimino (2012) Atheism Unbound: The Role of the New Media in the Formation of a Secular Identity, Secularism and Non-Religion, 1(1)

In this article we examine the Internet’s role in facilitating a more visible and active secular identity. Seeking to situate this more visible and active secularist presence—which we consider a form of activism in terms of promoting the importance of secularist concerns and issues in public discourse—we conclude by looking briefly at the relationship between secularist cyber-activism and secular organizations, on one hand, and the relationship between secularist activism and American politics on the other. This allows us to further underscore the importance of the Internet for contemporary secularists as it helps develop a group consciousness based around broadly similar agendas and ideas and secularists’ recognition of their commonality and their expression in collective action, online as well as off. More info found at: http://www.ryananddebi.com/secularismjournal/index.php/snr/article/view/3

Susan Sun, Tiong Goh, Kim-Shyan Fam, Yang Xue, Yang Xue, (2012) "The influence of religion on Islamic mobile phone banking services adoption", Journal of Islamic Marketing, 3(1): 81 – 98.

The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects religious affiliation and commitment have on Southeast Asian young adults' intention to adopt Islamic mobile phone banking. An online self-administered survey was distributed to Southeast Asian young adults through convenience and snowball sampling and a total of 135 responses obtained. The study found Islamic mobile phone banking to be a novelty service, with little consumer awareness and experience, especially among non-Muslims. Religious affiliation and commitment were both effective segmentation strategies, as differences in adoption intention were found between Muslims and non-Muslims, as well as devout and casually religious Muslims. Overall, devout Muslims were socially-oriented with their adoption criteria whereas casually religious and non-Muslims relied upon the utilitarian attributes. The paper contributes to the existing mobile banking adoption literature by providing evidence of consumers' adoption intentions toward Islamic mobile phone banking. It also uses religious commitment in addition to affiliation as segmentation tools, an approach which has not been used in previous Islamic mobile banking research. More info found at: http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=17017285&show=abstract