@article {65, title = {Internet Threats to Hindu Authority: Puja Ordering Websites and the Kalighat Temple}, journal = {Asian Journal of Social Science}, year = {2009}, abstract = {This article investigates threats to authority within Hinduism as a result of the Internet. It focuses upon websites which allow for pujas (devotional rituals) to be ordered to be carried out at the important Kalighat Temple in Kolkata. The two groups which currently exercise authority at the temple are identified, along with the specific forms of authority which they exercise. The processes which are occurring as a result of the puja ordering websites and the activities of those responsible for them are then demonstrated. The argument put forward is that, in addition to the puja ordering services being a threat to both the authority of the temple administration and the priests working there, they also have the potential to affect the relationship between these two groups. Findings from the Kalighat Temple case study further suggest that the effects at temples of online puja ordering services are dependent upon the current situation at respective temples.}, keywords = {Authority, Hinduism, internet, Kalighat Temple, Puja ordering websites, Pujas}, url = {http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/brill/saj/2010/00000038/00000004/art00007}, author = {Heinz Scheifinger} } @inbook {2121, title = {The Significance of Non-Participatory Digital Religion}, booktitle = {Digital Hinduism: Dharma and Discourse in the Age of New Media}, year = {2017}, publisher = {Lexington Books}, organization = {Lexington Books}, chapter = {1}, abstract = {This edited volume seeks to build a scholarly discourse about how Hinduism is being defined, reformed, and rearticulated in the digital era and how these changes are impacting the way Hindus view their own religious identities. It seeks to interrogate how digital Hinduism has been shaped in response to the dominant framing of the religion, which has often relied on postcolonial narratives devoid of context and an overemphasis on the geopolitics of the Indian subcontinent post-partition. From this perspective, this volume challenges previous frameworks of how Hinduism has been studied, particularly in the West, where Marxist and Orientalist approaches are often ill-fitting paradigms to understanding Hinduism. This volume engages with and critiques some of these approaches while also enriching existing models of research within media studies, ethnography, cultural studies, and religion.}, keywords = {Digital Religion, Hinduism, non-participatory}, issn = {978-1498559171}, url = {https://books.google.com/books?hl=en\&lr=\&id=irNFDwAAQBAJ\&oi=fnd\&pg=PA3\&ots=dYssx4peYU\&sig=sbJlVpGgZujcmVRVHwctsemfhWk$\#$v=onepage\&q\&f=false}, author = {Scheifinger, H} } @article {1300, title = {Investigating religious information searching through analysis of a search engine log}, journal = {Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology}, year = {2013}, abstract = {In this paper we present results from an investigation of religious information searching based on analyzing log files from a large general-purpose search engine. From approximately 15 million queries, we identified 124,422 that were part of 60,759 user sessions. We present a method for categorizing queries based on related terms and show differences in search patterns between religious searches and web searching more generally. We also investigate the search patterns found in queries related to 5 religions: Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, and Judaism. Different search patterns are found to emerge. Results from this study complement existing studies of religious information searching and provide a level of detailed analysis not reported to date. We show, for example, that sessions involving religion-related queries tend to last longer, that the lengths of religion-related queries are greater, and that the number of unique URLs clicked is higher when compared to all queries. The results of the study can serve to provide information on what this large population of users is actually searching for.}, keywords = {Buddhism, Christianity, Digital, Hinduism, information, Islam, Judaism, queries, religion, search behavior, search engine}, url = {http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/asi.22945/abstract?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=\&userIsAuthenticated=false}, author = {Rita Wan-Chik and Paul Clough and Mark Sanderson} }