TY - JOUR T1 - Religion and the Internet: A microcosm for studying Internet trends and implications JF - new media & society Y1 - 2012 A1 - Heidi A Campbell KW - Authority KW - community KW - Computer KW - Contemporary Religious Community KW - cyberspace KW - identity KW - internet KW - Mass media KW - network KW - New Media and Society KW - new media engagement KW - New Technology and Society KW - offline KW - Online KW - online communication KW - Online community KW - religion KW - religion and internet KW - Religion and the Internet KW - religiosity KW - religious engagement KW - religious identity KW - Religious Internet Communication KW - Religious Internet Communities KW - Ritual KW - sociability unbound KW - Sociology of religion KW - users’ participation KW - virtual community KW - virtual public sphere KW - “digital religion” KW - “Internet Studies” KW - “media and religion” KW - “media research” KW - “networked society” KW - “online identity” KW - “religion online” KW - “religious congregations” KW - “religious media research” KW - “religious practice online” AB - This article argues that paying close attention to key findings within the study of religion and the Internet, a subfield of Internet Studies, can enhance our understanding and discussion of the larger social and cultural shifts at work within networked society. Through a critical overview of research on religion online, five central research areas emerge related to social practices, online–offline connections, community, identity, and authority online. It is also argued that observations about these themes not only point to specific trends within religious practice online, but also mirror concerns and findings within other areas of Internet Studies. Thus, studying religion on the Internet provides an important microcosm for investigating Internet Studies’ contribution in a wide range of contexts in our contemporary social world. VL - 15 UR - http://nms.sagepub.com/content/15/5/680.abstract IS - 5 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - The Use of Internet Communication by Catholic Congregations: A Quantitative Study JF - Journal of Media and Religion Y1 - 2007 A1 - Cantoni, L A1 - Zyga, S KW - Catholic KW - Catholic religious congregations KW - Computer KW - congregations KW - Contemporary Religious Community KW - cyberspace KW - email KW - internet KW - internet communication through an e-mail account KW - Mass media KW - network KW - New Media and Society KW - new media engagement KW - New Technology and Society KW - online communication KW - Online community KW - religion KW - religion and internet KW - Religion and the Internet KW - religiosity KW - religious engagement KW - religious identity KW - Religious Internet Communication KW - Religious Internet Communities KW - sociability unbound KW - Sociology of religion KW - users’ participation KW - virtual community KW - virtual public sphere KW - “media research” KW - “religion online” KW - “religious media research” AB - This article presents a first attempt to measure the use of the internet by all 5,812 Catholic religious congregations and autonomous institutes worldwide (with 858,988 members). The research was conducted through a questionnaire sent by e-mail, hence first selecting those institutions which at least have an access to internet communication through an e-mail account (2,285: 39.3% of the total), receiving 437 responses (19.1% of the e-mail owners). The study shows great differences between centralized institutes and autonomous ones: the former ones make a higher use of the Internet than the latter ones; moreover, differences are also found among centralized institutes, namely between male and female ones. Two explanatory elements have been found, both depending on the own mission (charisma) of institutes: (1) first, the different approach to the external world: the institutes more devoted to contemplation and less active in the outside world make limited and basic use of the Internet, if any; (2) second, institutes whose aim is to assist poor and sick persons tend to use the internet less than the others, due to their different prioritization of resources. VL - 6 UR - http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15348420701626797#.Uinxtsasim5 IS - 4 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - The Divine Online: Civic Organizing, Identity Building, and Internet Fluency Among Different Religious Groups JF - Journal of Media and Religion Y1 - 2011 A1 - Justin Farrell KW - Catholic KW - Catholic congregations KW - Catholics KW - Computer KW - Contemporary Religious Community KW - cyberspace KW - internet KW - Mass media KW - media and religion KW - network KW - New Media and Society KW - new media engagement KW - New Technology and Society KW - online communication KW - Online community KW - religion KW - religion and internet KW - Religion and the Internet KW - religiosity KW - religious engagement KW - religious identity KW - Religious Internet Communication KW - Religious Internet Communities KW - religious media research KW - sociability unbound KW - Sociology of religion KW - users’ participation KW - virtual community KW - virtual public sphere KW - “media research” KW - “online identity KW - “religion online” KW - “religious congregations” KW - “religious media research” AB - The number of religious congregations with Web sites nearly tripled from 1998–2006, and each year another 10,000 congregations launch a Web site (Chaves & Anderson, 2008). Couple this with the fact that 79% of attendees are now in a congregation with a Web site. Scholars of media and religion know very little, however, about the content of these Web sites or what they tell us about the culture of different religious groups. The aim of this article, therefore, is to examine how congregations are constructing Web sites to advertise their identity, organize their followers to get involved in civic and political issues, and provide an interactive space for online participation in actual ministries. Extensive qualitative data were gathered from 600 individual congregation Web sites from nine denominations in 53 different cities across the United States. The results of the descriptive analysis of these data suggest that there is a strong correlation between the “off-line” characteristics of a particular congregation and the “on-line” characteristics of the same congregation. Evangelical congregations tend to have more complex, attractive, and interactive Web sites and fall into the “online religion” camp. Liberal-Protestant and Catholic congregations tend to create static “brochure” style Web sites that emphasize their denominational identity and thus fall into Hadden and Cowan's (2000) “religion online” camp. This study expands our theoretical knowledge about the proliferation of media into, and out of, religious congregations, and offers a broader understanding about how institutions negotiate their online identity in the digital age. [Supplemental materials are available for this article. Go to the publisher's online edition of the Journal of Media and Religion for the following free supplemental resource: Appendix II: Web Site Screen Shots.] VL - 10 UR - http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/15348423.2011.572438#.Uin0bMasim4 IS - 2 ER - TY - JOUR T1 - Media, religion and the marketplace in the information economy: evidence from Singapore JF - Environment and Planning Y1 - 2012 A1 - Jessie Poon A1 - Shirlena Huang A1 - Pauline Hope Cheong KW - Buddhism KW - Computer KW - Contemporary Religious Community KW - cyberspace KW - digital media KW - hybridization KW - information economy KW - internet KW - Mass media KW - network KW - New Media and Society KW - new media engagement KW - New Technology and Society KW - online communication KW - Online community KW - Protestantism KW - religion KW - religion and internet KW - Religion and the Internet KW - religiosity KW - religious engagement KW - religious identity KW - Religious Internet Communication KW - Religious Internet Communities KW - Singapore KW - sociability unbound KW - Sociology of religion KW - users’ participation KW - virtual community KW - virtual public sphere KW - “digital religion” KW - “Internet Studies” KW - “media and religion” KW - “media research” KW - “networked society” KW - “online identity” KW - “religion online” KW - “religious congregations” KW - “religious media research” KW - “religious practice online” AB - In this paper we suggest that the exchange of communication in a mediatized environment is transforming the nature of transactions in the religious marketplace. In this economy of religious informational exchanges, digitalization facilitates a process of mediatization that converts religious performance into forms suitable for commodifi cation and commoditization. The intersection of digital media, religion, and the marketplace is demonstrated in the context of mega Protestant and Buddhist organizations in Singapore. We show how these large organizations embed media relations in their sacred spaces through a process of hybridization. In turn, hybrid spaces are converted into material outputs that may be readily transacted in real and virtual spaces. Hybridization attends to a postmodern audience and consumers who value experience and sensorial stimulations. It integrates retail, entertainment, and the aesthetics into a space of ascetic performance that is digitally transportable. Digital transactional spaces thrive on the abundance of information, and information multiplies when communication is unfettered by the absence of proprietary safeguards. The religious marketplace may therefore be understood as a medially driven performance space where points of interaction are digitally VL - 44 UR - http://paulinehopecheong.com/media/8eb82a57db78bb75ffff839dffffe41e.pdf ER - TY - JOUR T1 - A Study of Church/Ministry Internet Usage JF - Journal of Ministry Marketing & Management Y1 - 2002 A1 - Robert E. Stevens A1 - Paul Dunn A1 - David L. Loudon A1 - Henry S. Cole KW - Church KW - Computer KW - Contemporary Religious Community KW - cyberspace KW - internet KW - Internet access KW - Internet use by churches and ministries KW - Mass media KW - national survey KW - network KW - New Media and Society KW - new media engagement KW - New Technology and Society KW - online activities KW - online communication KW - Online community KW - religion KW - religion and internet KW - Religion and the Internet KW - religiosity KW - religious engagement KW - religious identity KW - Religious Internet Communication KW - Religious Internet Communities KW - religious organizations KW - sociability unbound KW - Sociology of religion KW - users’ participation KW - virtual community KW - virtual public sphere KW - “digital religion” KW - “media and religion” KW - “media research” KW - “online identity” KW - “religion online” KW - “religious congregations” KW - “religious media research” AB - This manuscript reports the results of a national survey of Internet use by churches and ministries. The mail survey to a random sample of 500 churches and ministries sought to determine the proportion of churches/ministries with Internet access, how the Internet was being used by their organization, and organizational characteristics. A total of 448 questionnaires were delivered and 113 were returned resulting in a response rate of 25.2%. About 93 percent of the respondents surveyed reported using a computer. Of that 93 percent, about 70 percent reported they had Internet access. When asked about how the Internet has helped their church, respondents reported communications with others as the most important benefit, followed by staying better informed on products and services, and as a research tool for sermons and Bible studies. Among respondent churches who had Internet access, about 37 percent had a webpage. Of those who did not have a webpage, 58 percent plan on having one within a year. The most common ways churches use their website were found to be (1) describing features of the church such as service times or scheduled events, (2) creating a way to communicate with others about the church, (3) providing a way for people to contact the church by e-mail, and (4) image creation. Respondents cited several benefits of having a website: (1) improved communication, (2) increased member knowledge about church programs and (3) increased attendance at church services or activities. VL - 7 UR - http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1300/J093v07n01_03#.Uin3-Masim5 IS - 1 ER - TY - THES T1 - Manifestation of Religious Authority on the Internet: Presentation of Twelver Shiite Authority in the Persian Blogosphere T2 - Sociology Y1 - 2012 A1 - Valibeigi, Narges KW - Authority KW - Biosphere KW - Digital Religion KW - Iran KW - media and religion KW - new media engagement KW - New media praticipation KW - Persian KW - Religious Internet Communities KW - Shiite Muslim KW - sociability unbound AB - Cyberspace has diversified and pluralized people’s daily experiences of religion in unprecedented ways. By studying several websites and weblogs that have a religious orientation, different layers of religious authority including “religious hierarchy, structures, ideology, and sources” (Campbell, 2009) can be identified. Also, using Weber’s definition of the three types of authority, “rational-legal, traditional, and charismatic” (1968), the specific type of authority that is being presented on blogosphere can be recognized. The Internet presents a level of liberty for the discussion of sensitive topics in any kind of religious cyberspace, specifically the Islamic one. In this way, the Internet is expanding the number and range of Muslim voices, which may pose problems for traditional forms of religious authority or may suggest new forms of authority in the Islamic world. The interaction between the Internet and religion is often perceived as contradictory, especially when it is religion at its most conservative practice. While the international and national applications of the Internet have increased vastly, local religious communities, especially fundamentalists, perceived this new technology as a threat to their local cultures and practices. If we look at the Internet as a central phenomenon of contemporary modernity that interacts with practiced fundamentalist religious traditions, we can ask how broad the interactions are between religious fundamentalism and the Internet and whether these relations can be reconciled. More specifically, this thesis presents a study of the junction of the Internet and religious fundamentalism reviewing the presentation of Shiite religious authority on the Persian blogosphere. As a case study, Persian weblogs are studied for content analysis for this thesis. Weblogs’ texts are analyzed to find evidences for Shiite beliefs and shared identity, usages and interpretations of the main Shiite religious texts, references to the role of recognized Shiite leaders, and descriptions of Shiite structural patterns of practices and organizations. This research will demonstrate how the Internet has been culturally constructed, modified, and adapted to the Iranian community’s needs and how the Shiite fundamentalist community of Iran has been affected by it. Based on one of the most structured research in this area, the study by Baezilai-Nahon and Barzilai (2005), in this article I identify four principal dimensions of religious fundamentalism as they interact with the Internet: hierarchy, patriarchy, discipline, and seclusion. JF - Sociology PB - University of Waterloo VL - Master of Arts UR - http://hdl.handle.net/10012/6774 ER -