%0 Book %D 2011 %T Friending: Real relationships in a virtual world %A Baab, Lynn %K Facebook %K Friending %K relationships %K Virtual %X The notion of friendship is under broad review. A highly mobile and increasingly busy society--rootless, some might argue--means that most of our relationships can't depend solely on face-to-face contact to flourish. The increasing prominence of the virtual landscape--where the language of friendship has been co-opted to describe relationships ranging from intimate to meaningless--requires that we become fluent in ever-expanding relational technologies. It's never been easy to be a friend, but it seems to be getting tougher by the nanosecond.In Friending, Lynne Baab collects the insights, hopes and regrets of people from across the spectrum of age and life circumstance and syncs them with the wisdom of the Bible. Using Colossians 3 and 1 Corinthians 13 as touchpoints, Lynne shows us how we can celebrate and strengthen our relational ties while continuing to practice the timeless discipline of friending in our time. %I InterVarsity Press %C Downer Gove, IL %G English %U http://books.google.com/books?id=GMgoD2xrM5EC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false %0 Book %D 2008 %T Reaching Out in a Networked World: Expressing Your Congregation's Heart and Soul %A Baab, L %K Christianity %K Congregation %K Heart %K network %X A congregation communicates its heart and soul through words, photos, actions, programs, architecture, decor, the arts, and countless other aspects of congregational life. In Reaching Out in a Networked World, communications expert and pastor Lynne Baab examines technologies such as websites, blogs, online communities, and desktop publishing. She demonstrates how a congregation can evaluate these tools and appropriately use them to communicate its heart and soul, to convey its identity and values both within and outside the congregation. Baab urges congregation leaders to reflect on the way they communicate. The recent explosion in communication technologies offers many new ways to present values and identity, but no one has much experience thinking about how best to use these tools. Baab seeks to help leaders use these new technologies with more precision, flair, and consistency. When congregations are intentional about communicating who they are and what they value, people in the wider community can get a clear and coherent picture of the congregation and its mission. Newcomers and visitors are more likely to see why faith commitments matter and why and how they might become involved in this congregation, while current members and leaders will greatly benefit from having a unified vision of the congregation’s heart and soul. %I Alban Institute %C Herndon, VA %G English %U http://www.scribd.com/doc/14597552/Reaching-Out-In-a-Networked-World-Excerpt %0 Book %D 2002 %T The Gospel in Cyberspace. Nurturing Faith in the Internet Age %A Babin, P %A Zukowski, A %K cyberspace %K Faith %K Gospel %K internet %X Global culture has gone from the Age of Print to the Era of the Media. The Gospel in Cyberspace maps these changes and offers guidance in navigating the new frontier as it relates to the Church. Authors Babin and Zukowski draw upon their experience in evangelization, catechesis, and media to lead readers through the new technologies %I Loyola Press %C Chicago %G eng %U https://books.google.com/books/about/The_Gospel_in_Cyberspace.html?id=E8OOAAAAMAAJ %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Media and Religion %D 2013 %T Mapping the Landscape of Digital Petitionary Prayer as Spiritual/Social Support in Mobile, Facebook, and E-mail %A E. James Baeslera %A Yi-Fan Chena %K Digital %K digital prayers %K God %K mobile %K New Media %K petitionary prayers %K Self %K Traditional prayers %X Traditional prayers can function to provide spiritual and social support for oneself and others. With social media, this support finds a new expression in digital prayers. We map the landscape of digital petitionary prayers for self and others across three different media. In survey one (n = 218), frequency of digital petitionary prayers, described by topic, relationship, place, and outcome, was highest for the mobile medium (phone and text messaging), midrange for Facebook (posting and e-mail), and lowest for traditional e-mail. A second survey (n = 116) revealed that different types and contexts for petitionary prayers are positively associated with love of self, others, and God. Suggestions for future research include investigating the quality and outcomes of petitionary prayers across private, face-to-face, and digital contexts. %B Journal of Media and Religion %V 12 %G eng %U http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15348423.2013.760385#.Ulmi51Csim5 %N 1 %& 1 %R 10.1080/15348423.2013.760385 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Media and Religion %D 2013 %T Mapping the Landscape of Digital Petitionary Prayer as Spiritual/Social Support in Mobile, Facebook, and E-mail %A E. James Baeslera %A Yi-Fan Chena %K email %K Facebook %K mobile %K Prayer Online %X Traditional prayers can function to provide spiritual and social support for oneself and others. With social media, this support finds a new expression in digital prayers. We map the landscape of digital petitionary prayers for self and others across three different media. In survey one (n = 218), frequency of digital petitionary prayers, described by topic, relationship, place, and outcome, was highest for the mobile medium (phone and text messaging), midrange for Facebook (posting and e-mail), and lowest for traditional e-mail. A second survey (n = 116) revealed that different types and contexts for petitionary prayers are positively associated with love of self, others, and God. Suggestions for future research include investigating the quality and outcomes of petitionary prayers across private, face-to-face, and digital contexts. %B Journal of Media and Religion %V 12 %P 1-15 %G eng %U http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15348423.2013.760385 %N 1 %0 Journal Article %J Annali di Ca' Foscari %D 2002 %T Il sacro in Internet. L'esempio delle Nuove Religioni giapponesi %A Baffelli, E. %B Annali di Ca' Foscari %V 33 %P 239-264 %0 Journal Article %J Australian Religious Studies Review %D 2010 %T Japanese New Religions and the Internet: A Case Study %A Baffelli, Erica %K internet %K Japanese %K religion %B Australian Religious Studies Review %V 23 %P 255-276 %U http://www.equinoxjournals.com/ARSR/article/view/7863 %N 3 %0 Book %D 2011 %T Japanese Religions on the Internet: Innovation, Representation, and Authority %A Baffelli, Erica %A Reader, Ian %A Staemmler, Birgit %K Authority %K internet %K Japanese %K religions %I Routledge %C New York %U http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415886437/ %0 Book %B Routledge Research in Religion, Media, and Culture %D 2016 %T Media and New Religions in Japan %A Erica Baffelli %B Routledge Research in Religion, Media, and Culture %I Routledge %C London and New York %@ 0415659124 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs %D 2018 %T The Individual and the Ummah: The Use of Social Media by Muslim Minority Communities in Australia and the United States %A Bahfen, Nasya %X How are perceptions of self and ummah (community) reflected in social media use by members of Muslim minorities in two Western countries, Australia and the United States? This paper explores the use of social media by members of minority communities for the purposes of self-representation and community-building, and perceptions of social media use among members of Muslim minority communities, as a means for them to challenge the narrative of Islam found in mainstream media associated with homogeneity, violence and militancy. The paper is based on analysis of responses of a targeted sample of members of representative Muslim student organizations at two tertiary institutions in Australia and the United States. Asian countries of origin are strongly represented in the migrant and international student communities of these two countries. The survey respondents were asked about their use of social media in relation to how they engage in public discourse about Islam, and how it is used in the negotiation of their religious and secular identities. %B Journal of Muslim Minority Affairs %G eng %U https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13602004.2018.1434939?journalCode=cjmm20 %0 Book %D 2007 %T The Blogging Church: Sharing the Story of Your Church Through Blogs %A Bailey, Brian %A Storch, Terry %A Young, Ed %K Blog %K Christianity %K Church %K story %X "The Blogging Church" offers church leaders a field manual for using the social phenomenon of blogs to connect people and build communities in a whole new way. Inside you will find the why, what, and how of blogging in the local church. Filled with illustrative examples and practical advice, the authors answer key questions learned on the frontlines of ministry: Is blogging a tool or a toy? What problems will blogging solve? How does it benefit ministry? How do I build a great blog? and Who am I blogging for? "The Blogging Church" is a handbook that will inspire and equip you to join the conversation.The book includes contributions from five of the most popular bloggers in the world--Robert Scoble, Dave Winer, Kathy Sierra, Guy Kawasaki, and Merlin Mann, as well as interviews with blogging pastors such as Mark Driscoll, Craig Groeschel, Tony Morgan, Perry Noble, Greg Surratt, Mark Batterson, and many more. Praise for "The Blogging Church". "Brian Bailey makes two things crystal clear in this book: if you've got a church, then you need to spread your story. And if you need to spread your story, blogs are now an essential tool. Time to pay attention!" Seth Godin, author, "Small Is the New Big" "I had a lot of questions about blogs and their value for my church. I'm thankful that Brian and Terry are sharing their experiences to answer those questions. Their insights are for everyone in ministry. Whether you are reading blogs, writing blogs, or just trying to figure out how to use the word in a sentence, this book is for you." Mark Beeson, senior pastor, Granger Community Church "My talking head is limited to the pulpit proper. I thank God that there's a tool to reach outside the church, to those that are, sadly, outside the church. Thank you Brian and Terry for "The Blogging Church."" Bob Coy, senior pastor, Calvary Chapel, Ft. Lauderdale %I Jossey-Bass %C CA %G English %U http://books.google.com/books?id=0IKlJ-okiaYC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false %0 Journal Article %J Media, Culture & Society %D 2003 %T Virtual togetherness: an everyday-life perspective %A Maria Bakardjieva %K Contemporary Religious Community %K New Media and Society %K new media engagement %K New Technology and Society %K online communication %K Online community %K religion %K Religion and the Internet %K religious engagement %K Sociology of religion %K users’ participation %X The objective of this article is to explore some dimensions of the concept of virtual community, which relates to empowering possibilities in the appropriation of the Internet by domestic users. I contend that users’ participation in what have been called ‘virtual communities’ (Rheingold, 1993) over the Internet constitutes a cultural trend of ‘immobile socialization’, or in other words, socialization of private experience through the invention of new forms of intersubjectivity and social organization online. %B Media, Culture & Society %V 25 %G eng %U http://learningspaces.org/irm/Bakardjieva_Togetherness.pdf %& 291 %0 Book %D 1995 %T Christian Cyberspace Companion : A Guide to the Internet and Christian Online Resources %A Baker, J. D. %K Christianity %K cyberspace %K internet %K resources %X Reference works and guides to on-line services have been appearing throughout the computer world. This is the first specifically designed for Christians who would like to take advantage of online services. Beginners learn how to choose equipment and software, while experienced net surfers are provided with a glossary of cyberspace terms, the news of coming advances, and much more. %I Baker Books %C Grand Rapids %G English %U http://books.google.com/books/about/Christian_cyberspace_companion.html?id=28BjHCuLquoC %0 Thesis %D 2007 %T eTheology: Exporations in Computer Mediated Theological Reflection %A Duncan Ballard %K Computer %K reflection %K theology %X This thesis considers (and critically assesses) how far the ‘new technologies’ associated with the internet – hypertext and hypermedia, blogging, wikis and chatterbots1 amongst others – might be used in the practice of Theological Reflection (TR). It presents a critical account of how some initiatives in using the internet might create insights and possibilities for TR, as well as highlighting some of the problems and pitfalls that might arise. This is in pursuit of two main research questions: 1. Is TR possible on the internet? 2. If TR is possible on the internet, what then does it add to the sum total of theological reflection and how might it relate to other methods? %I St. Michael’s Theological College %C Landaff, Cardiff, UK %8 2007 %G eng %U http://www.lulu.com/items/volume_62/1765000/1765949/1/print/etheology.pdf %0 Book %D 1993 %T Ethics in an age of technology: The Gifford Lectures 1989-1991 %A Barbour, I. G. %K ethics %K Gifford %K technology %X The Gifford Lectures have challenged our greatest thinkers to relate the worlds of religion, philosophy, and science. Now Ian Barbour has joined ranks with such Gifford lecturers as William James, Carl Jung, and Reinhold Neibuhr. In 1989 Barbour presented his first series of Gifford Lectures, published as Religion in an Age of Science, in which he explored the challenges to religion brought by the methods and theories of contemporary science. In 1990, he returned to Scotland to present this second series, dealing with ethical issues arising from technology and exploring the relationship of human and environmental values to science, philosophy, and religion and showing why these values are relevant to technological policy decisions. "Modern technology has brought increased food production, improved health, higher living standards, and better communications," writes Barbour. "But its environmental and human costs have been increasingly evident." Most of the destructive impacts, Barbour points out, come not from dramatic accidents but from the normal operation of agricultural and industrial systems, which deplete resources and pollute air, water, and land. Other technologies have unprecedented power to affect people and other forms of life distant in time and space (through global warming and genetic engineering, for example). Large-scale technologies are also expensive and centralized, accelerating the concentration of economic and political power and widening the gaps between rich and poor nations. In examining the conflicting ethics and assumptions that lead to divergent views of technology, Barbour analyzes three social values: justice, participatory freedom, and economic development, and defends such environmental principles as resource sustainability, environmental protection, and respect for all forms of life. He presents case studies of agricultural technology, energy policy, and the use of computers. Looking to the future, he describes the effects of global climate change, genetic engineering, and nuclear war and cautions that we must control our new powers over life and death more effectively. Finally, he concludes by focusing on appropriate technologies, individual life-styles, and sources of change: education, political action, response to crisis, and alternative visions of the good life. %I HarperSanFrancisco. %C San Francisco %G English %U http://books.google.com/books?id=7XVa-PqK_8sC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false %0 Book Section %B Religion and Cyberspace %D 2005 %T Crossing the Boundary: New Challenges to Religious Authority and Control as a Consequence of Access to the Internet %A Eileen Barker %K Authority %K Challenges %K control %K internet %K religion %B Religion and Cyberspace %I Routledge %C London %G English %U http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/9342/ %1 Morten Hojsgaard and Margit Warburg %6 86-67 %0 Journal Article %J Scientific Study of Religion %D 1978 %T Charisma and religious leadership: An historical analysis %A Douglas F. Barnes %X While Max Weber formulated an "ideal" definition of charisma and its routinization, he did not fully address the question of charismatic origins. This paper proposes a theory of charismatic leadership which explores the social conditions under which charisma will emerge. Charismatic leaders are hypothesized to live in periods of radical social change or be cut off from the mainstream of society, perceive religious tradition as relative, and have innovative teachings if their religion is to be institutionalized. They are also not excluded from occupying an institutional office within a traditional religion. The theory is tentatively supported by an examination of biographical data for fifteen charismatic leaders and their successors from various periods of history and from different parts of the world. %B Scientific Study of Religion %G eng %U http://www.jstor.org/stable/1385423. %0 Journal Article %J The Information Society %D 2005 %T Cultured technology: Internet & religious fundamentalism %A Barzilai-Nahon, Karine. and Barzilai, Gadi %K control and censorship %K cultured technology %K cyberspace %K digital divide %K discipline %K hierarchy %K localization %K online interactions %K patriarchy %K religious fundamentalism %K social capital %K virtual communities %X In this article we identify four principal dimensions of religious fundamentalism as they interact with the Internet: hierarchy, patriarchy, discipline, and seclusion. We also develop the concept of cultured technology, and analyze the ways communities reshape a technology and make it a part of their culture, while at the same time changing their customary ways of life and unwritten laws to adapt to it. Later, we give examples for our theoretical framework through an empirical examination of ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities in Israel. Our empirical study is based on a data set of 686,192 users and 60,346 virtual communities. The results show the complexity of interactions between religious fundamentalism and the Internet, and invite further discussions of cultured technology as a means to understand how the Internet has been culturally constructed, modified, and adapted to the needs of fundamentalist communities and how they in turn have been affected by it. %B The Information Society %V 21 %P 25-40 %G English %U http://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/viewdoc/summary?doi=10.1.1.96.170 %N 1 %0 Journal Article %J First Monday %D 1996 %T Spirituality and Technology: Exploring the Relationship %A Bauwens, Michael %K Attitudes %K Changes %K Cultural %K religion %K Social %X This essay first looks at some of the social and cultural changes associated with the notion of a Digital Revolution, the result of the growth of the Internet and the emergence of 'cyberspace'. It then examines some basic 'spiritual' attitudes and how various debates within and between different schools of thought are changing attitudes about technology. Technology can be seen both as a degenerate practice and/or as a means to bring mankind to a higher level of consciousness or to a more well-developed civilization. Finally, the essay will discuss some of the emergent spiritual practices on the Internet itself. %B First Monday %G English %U http://firstmonday.org/htbin/cgiwrap/bin/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/496/417 %0 Book %D 2996 %T Relating: Dialogues and Dialectics %A Leslie A. Baxter %A Barbara M. Montgomery %X This book draws on the dialogism of social theorist Mikhail Bakhtin to develop a new approach which the authors term "relational dialectics" to the study of interpersonal communication. Emphasizing a social self instead of a sovereign self, multivocal oppositions instead of binary contradictions, and indeterminate change instead of transcendent synthesis, chapters examine and critique prevailing approaches to interpersonal communication. Building on these theoretical foundations, the volume rethinks such key areas as relationship development, closeness, certainty, openness, communication competence, and the boundaries between self, relationship, and society, and raises intriguing questions for future research. %I Guilford %C New York %G eng %U https://www.guilford.com/books/Relating/Baxter-Montgomery/9781572301016/summary %0 Journal Article %J The Journal of Family Communication %D 2004 %T A tale of two voices: Relational dialectics theory %A Leslie A. Baxter %B The Journal of Family Communication %G eng %U https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/15267431.2004.9670130?journalCode=hjfc20 %0 Book %D 2009 %T Internet Inquiry: Conversations About Method %A Nancy Baym %A Annette Markhan %K conversations %K internet %X Internet Inquiry presents distinctive and divergent viewpoints on how to think about and conduct qualitative Internet research. Organized around methodological questions, this book addresses ethical, practical, and logistical issues, employing an approach that fosters open-ended dialogue. Each question is addressed by three researchers from different disciplines and nations to promote interdisciplinary thinking. Editors Annette N. Markham and Nancy K. Baym facilitate a dynamic understanding of quality in Internet research, emphasizing that while good research choices are varied, they are also deliberate, studied, and internally consistent. %I Sage Publishing %C London %G English %U http://books.google.com/books?id=cd6YjAf5f44C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false %0 Book Section %B Handbook of New Media %D 2006 %T Interpersonal Life Online %A Baym, Nancy. K. %X Thoroughly revised and updated, this Student Edition of the successful Handbook of New Media has been abridged to showcase the best of the hardback edition. This Handbook sets out boundaries of new media research and scholarship and provides a definitive statement of the current state-of-the-art of the field. Covering major problem areas of research, the Handbook of New Media includes an introductory essay by the editors and a concluding essay by Ron Rice. Each chapter, written by an internationally renowned scholar, provides a review of the most significant social research findings and insights.

%B Handbook of New Media %I Sage %C London %P 35-54 %G eng %U http://www.sagepub.com/mcquail6/PDF/062_ch04.pdf %1 L. Lievrouw & S. Livingstone %R http://books.google.com/books?id=P9HkFWEwfFUC&pg=PA35&lpg=PA35&dq=Interpersonal+Life+Online+Baym&source=bl&ots=RifQDaNx-L&sig=F5ez-L-gK7kAFUYHezfmnzydiXU&hl=en&sa=X&ei=em_eT8TKBKSI2gWQtMiFAg&ved=0CFQQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=Interpersonal%20Life%20Online%20Baym %0 Journal Article %J New Media & Society %D 2004 %T Social Interactions across media: Interpersonal communication on the Internet, face-to-face, and the telephone %A Nancy K. Baym %A Yan Bing Zhang %A Mei-Chen Lin %X Two studies compared college students’ interpersonal interaction online, face-to-face, and on the telephone. A communication diary assessed the relative amount of social interactions college students conducted online compared to face-to-face conversation and telephone calls. Results indicated that while the internet was integrated into college students’ social lives, face-to-face communication remained the dominant mode of interaction. Participants reported using the internet as often as the telephone. A survey compared reported use of the internet within local and long distance social circles to the use of other media within those circles, and examined participants’ most recent significant social interactions conducted across media in terms of purposes, contexts, and quality. Internet interaction was perceived as high in quality, but slightly lower than other media. Results were compared to previous conceptualizations of the roles of internet in one’s social life. %B New Media & Society %G eng %U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1461444804041438 %0 Book Section %B Handbook of New Media %D 2006 %T Interpersonal Life Online %A Baym, Nancy. K. %X Thoroughly revised and updated, this Student Edition of the successful Handbook of New Media has been abridged to showcase the best of the hardback edition. This Handbook sets out boundaries of new media research and scholarship and provides a definitive statement of the current state-of-the-art of the field. Covering major problem areas of research, the Handbook of New Media includes an introductory essay by the editors and a concluding essay by Ron Rice. Each chapter, written by an internationally renowned scholar, provides a review of the most significant social research findings and insights.

%B Handbook of New Media %I Sage %C London %P 35-54 %G eng %U http://www.sagepub.com/mcquail6/PDF/062_ch04.pdf %1 L. Lievrouw & S. Livingstone %R http://books.google.com/books?id=P9HkFWEwfFUC&pg=PA35&lpg=PA35&dq=Interpersonal+Life+Online+Baym&source=bl&ots=RifQDaNx-L&sig=F5ez-L-gK7kAFUYHezfmnzydiXU&hl=en&sa=X&ei=em_eT8TKBKSI2gWQtMiFAg&ved=0CFQQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=Interpersonal%20Life%20Online%20Baym %0 Book %D 2010 %T Personal Connections in the Digital Age %A Baym, N. %K Connection %K Digital %K relationships %X The internet and the mobile phone have disrupted many of our conventional understandings of our selves and our relationships, raising anxieties and hopes about their effects on our lives. This timely and vibrant book provides frameworks for thinking critically about the roles of digital media in personal relationships. Rather than providing exuberant accounts or cautionary tales, it offers a data-grounded primer on how to make sense of these important changes in relational life. The book identifies the core relational issues these media disturb and shows how the ways we talk about them echo historical discussions about earlier communication technologies. Chapters explore how we use mediated language and nonverbal behavior to develop and maintain communities, social networks, new relationships, and to maintain relationships in our everyday lives. It combines research findings with lively examples to address questions such as whether mediated interaction can be warm and personal, whether people are honest about themselves online, whether relationships that start online can work, and whether using these media damages the other relationships in our lives. Throughout, the book argues for approaching these questions with firm understandings of the qualities ofmedia as well as the social and personal contexts in which they are developed and used. Personal Connections in the Digital Age will be required reading for all students and scholars of media, communication studies, and sociology, as well as all those who want a firmer understanding of digital media and everyday life--Publisher. %I John Wiley & Sons, Inc. %C Cambridge %G English %U http://books.google.com/books/about/Personal_Connections_in_the_Digital_Age.html?id=JRyOQAAACAAJ %0 Book Section %B Handbook of New Media %D 2006 %T Interpersonal Life Online %A Baym, Nancy. K. %K life %K Online %K relationships %X Thoroughly revised and updated, this Student Edition of the successful Handbook of New Media has been abridged to showcase the best of the hardback edition. This Handbook sets out boundaries of new media research and scholarship and provides a definitive statement of the current state-of-the-art of the field. Covering major problem areas of research, the Handbook of New Media includes an introductory essay by the editors and a concluding essay by Ron Rice. Each chapter, written by an internationally renowned scholar, provides a review of the most significant social research findings and insights.

%B Handbook of New Media %I Sage %C London %P 35-54 %G eng %U http://www.sagepub.com/mcquail6/PDF/062_ch04.pdf %1 L. Lievrouw & S. Livingstone %R http://books.google.com/books?id=P9HkFWEwfFUC&pg=PA35&lpg=PA35&dq=Interpersonal+Life+Online+Baym&source=bl&ots=RifQDaNx-L&sig=F5ez-L-gK7kAFUYHezfmnzydiXU&hl=en&sa=X&ei=em_eT8TKBKSI2gWQtMiFAg&ved=0CFQQ6AEwBg#v=onepage&q=Interpersonal%20Life%20Online%20Baym %0 Journal Article %J Information, Communication & Society %D 2011 %T Muslims on the Path of the Salaf Al-Salih %A Becker, Carmen %X The transfer of religious rituals into computer-mediated environments (CMEs) has attracted the attention of scholars in recent years. This article aims to contribute to this field by analysing the ritual dynamics in Dutch and German chat rooms as well as Internet discussion forums popular among Muslims following the Salafiyya. Two questions stand in the centre of the analysis: How are rituals transferred to new CMEs? And what accounts for the varying success of transfer processes? Religious rituals are understood to be successful when they (a) reproduce the core values and norms of a community; (b) involve a significant number of believers; and (c) protect the sacred from the profane. The ritual landscape of a religion undergoes a transformation in the course of the transfer process with mixed results: some rituals like the Muslim conversion ritual migrate successfully while other transfer processes yield ambiguous results, as the discussion of the ritual acts of gender segregation shows. Furthermore, in the case of some rituals like the Muslim prayer, a migration is not even attempted, while, on the other hand, some religious practices can become increasingly ritualized in the new environment and enter the ritual repertoire of a community. This contribution argues that the diverse outcomes of ritual transfer processes are partly the result of the interplay between affordances of CMEs and the exigencies of ritual segments. %B Information, Communication & Society %G eng %U https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1369118X.2011.597414 %0 Journal Article %J Masaryk University Journal of Law and Technology %D 2010 %T “Gaining Knowledge”; Salafi Activism in German and Dutch Online Forums %A Becker, Carmen %X Recent years have witnessed an expansion of Salafi activism into computer-medi- ated environments like online discussion forums. Forum activities are part of the activists' endeavour to access the religious sources (Quran and Sunnah) and, through these sources, the lives of the prophet Muhammad and the first generations of Muslims. The prophet and the first generations embody the perfect model of a (Muslim) life which Salafi Muslims strive to emulate. This article analyses the knowledge practices of Salafi Muslims in Dutch and German discussion forums re- volving around the religious sources. Knowledge practices are understood as mean- ing-making activities that tell people how to behave and how to "be in the world". Four aspects are central to Salafi knowledge practices in Dutch and German for- ums: (1) Fragmentation and re-alignment form the basic ways of dealing with di- gitized corpus of Islamic knowledge and (2) open the way for Salafi Muslims to en- gage in "Islamic argumentation" in the course of which they "excavate" behaviour- al rules in form of a "script" from Quran and Sunnah. (3) These practices are set within the cognitive collaboration of forum members and part of a broader decent- ralizing tendency within Islam. (4) And finally, narratives and sensual environ- ments circulating in forums help activists to overcome contradictions and ambigu- ities while trying to put the script, which tells them what to do in which situation, into practice. %B Masaryk University Journal of Law and Technology %G eng %U https://www.researchgate.net/publication/238749062_Gaining_Knowledge_Salafi_Activism_in_German_and_Dutch_Online_Forums %0 Book Section %B From Sacred Text to the Internet %D 2001 %T Computer-mediated religion: religion on the internet at the turn of the twenty-first century %A Beckerlegge, Gwilym %K Computer %K internet %K religion %K twenty-first century %X This study demonstrates how diaspora religious traditions utilized the Internet to develop significant network connections among each other and also to their place of origins. By examining the early Usenet system, I argue that the religious beliefs and practices of diaspora religious traditions were a motivating factor for developing Usenet groups where geographically dispersed individuals could connect with each other in safe, supportive, and religiously tolerant environments. This article explores the new forms of religious practices that began to occur on these sites, focusing on the manner in which Internet technology and the World Wide Web were utilized for activities such as long-distance ritual practice, cyber pilgrimage, and other religiously-motivated undertakings. Through these new online religious activities, diaspora groups have been able to develop significant connections not only among people, but also between people and the sacred homeland itself. %B From Sacred Text to the Internet %I Ashgate %C Aldershot, UK %P 219-263 %U http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol12/issue3/helland.html %0 Journal Article %J Stimulus %D 2004 %T Blogging: report from a grassroots revival %A Bednar, T. %K Blog %K Blogging %K Christianity %X The article reports on the current growth rate of weblogs and bloggers. According to research firm Gartner Inc., 200 million people have given up blogging, more than thrice as many as are active. Blog aggregator Technorati.com estimates that 3 million new blogs are launched every month. It is said that the secret of some of the top Christian blogs is that they are team efforts. %B Stimulus %V 12 %P 24-30 %G English %U http://web.ebscohost.com/ehost/detail?sid=c0057ab8-7d48-4813-86c0-881d143c76b7%40sessionmgr10&vid=2&hid=21&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=a9h&AN=26940153 %N 3 %0 Book %D 2018 %T Undivided. Coming out, being whole, living free of shame %A Vicky Beeching %X Vicky Beeching, called “arguably the most influential Christian of her generation” in The Guardian, began writing songs for the church in her teens. By the time she reached her early thirties, Vicky was a household name in churches on both sides of the pond. Recording multiple albums and singing in America’s largest megachurches, her music was used weekly around the globe and translated into numerous languages. But this poster girl for evangelical Christianity lived with a debilitating inner battle: she was gay. The tens of thousands of traditional Christians she sang in front of were unanimous in their view – they staunchly opposed same-sex relationships and saw homosexuality as a grievous sin. Vicky knew if she ever spoke up about her identity it would cost her everything. Faced with a major health crisis, at the age of thirty-five she decided to tell the world that she was gay. As a result, all hell broke loose. She lost her music career and livelihood, faced threats and vitriol from traditionalists, developed further health issues from the immense stress, and had to rebuild her life almost from scratch. But despite losing so much she gained far more: she was finally able to live from a place of wholeness, vulnerability, and authenticity. She finally found peace. What’s more, Vicky became a champion for others, fighting for LGBT equality in the church and in the corporate sector. Her courageous work is creating change in the US and the UK, as she urges people to celebrate diversity, live authentically, and become undivided. %I HarperOne %C New York %G eng %U https://www.amazon.com/Undivided-Coming-Becoming-Whole-Living/dp/0062439901 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Religion and Popular Culture %D 2011 %T From 'Televangelist' to 'Intervangelist': The Emergence of the Streaming Video Preacher %A Bekkering, Denis J. %K Christianity %K Evangelicalism %K internet %K Streaming Video %K Televangelism %X The present study begins by recovering the origins of the terms "televangelism" and "televangelist." "Televangelism" first appeared in 1958 as the title of a proselytization project of the Southern Baptist Convention that combined dramatic television programs with efforts to engage viewers in person. "Televangelist" was introduced in 1975 to describe an emerging type of American television preacher, the most successful of whom built powerful parachurch organizations. The neologism "intervangelist" is then presented to label contemporary video preachers broadcasting online. A content analysis of video platforms on the site Streaming Faith reveals a group of intervangelists who head established or aspiring megachurches. It is demonstrated that the information and opportunities for interaction surrounding the videos of these intervangelists provide their ministries with tools for gaining the attention and donations of viewers, as well as resources for attracting physical attendees to their churches. %B Journal of Religion and Popular Culture %V 23 %P 101-117 %U http://utpjournals.metapress.com/content/10v704n674gjn622/ %N 2 %0 Book Section %B Encyclopedia of Information Science & Technology %D 2018 %T The Intersection of Religion and Mobile Technology %A Bellar, W %A Cho, J %A Campbell, H %E Z. Yeng %K mobile technology %K religion %B Encyclopedia of Information Science & Technology %7 4 %I IGI Global %C Hershey, PA %P 6161-6170 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J New Media and Society %D 2017 %T Private practice: Using digital diaries and interviews to understand evangelical Christians’ choice and use of religious mobile applications %A Bellar, W %K digital diaries %K Evangelical Christian %K mobile apps %K religion %X Religious mobile applications (apps) offer a relatively new space for religious practices such as studying sacred texts, prayer, and meditation. To date, most studies in the digital religion literature, and to some extent in general mobile app studies, focus inquiry on app content and/or design only. This study advances these areas of study by extending inquiry to the mobile app audience by exploring how Evangelical Christians actually choose and use religious mobile apps, and how app engagement informs their religious identities. Data from qualitative digital diary reports and in-depth interviews were analyzed within Campbell’s networked religion framework, specifically through the storied identity and networked community concepts. Findings explicate the combination of online and offline resources used for choosing apps, shifting core religious practices from offline to mobile contexts, and a lack of networked community engagement for sharing private religious app experiences. %B New Media and Society %V 19 %P 111-125 %G eng %U http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1461444816649922 %N 1 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Religion, Media, and Digital Culture %D 2013 %T Reading religion in Internet memes %A Bellar, W %A Campbell, H %A Cho, K %A Terry, A %A Tsuria, R %A Yadlin-Segal, A %A Zeimer, J %K internet memes %K religion %X This article provides a preliminary report of a study of religious-oriented internet memes and seeks to identify the common communication styles, interpretive practices and messages about religion communicated in this digital medium. These findings argue that memes provide an important sphere for investigating and understanding religious meaning-making online, which expresses key attributes of participatory culture and trends towards lived religion. %B Journal of Religion, Media, and Digital Culture %V 2 %G eng %U http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/journals/10.1163/21659214-90000031 %N 2 %0 Book Section %B Encyclopedia of Information Science & Technology %D 2018 %T Religious Use of Mobile Phones %A Bellar, W %A Cho, J %A Campbell, H %K Digital Religion %K mobile phones %K religious %B Encyclopedia of Information Science & Technology %7 4 %I IGI Global %C Hershey, PA %P 6161-6170 %G eng %U https://www.igi-global.com/book/encyclopedia-information-science-technology-fourth/173015 %1 Z. Yeng %0 Journal Article %J New Media & Society %D 2016 %T Private practice: Using digital diaries and interviews to understand evangelical Christians’ choice and use of religious mobile applications %A Bellar,W %K digital diaries %K Digital Religion %K Evangelical Christians %K mobile application %K mobile audiences %K networked community %K networked religion %K storied identity %X Religious mobile applications (apps) offer a relatively new space for religious practices such as studying sacred texts, prayer, and meditation. To date, most studies in the digital religion literature, and to some extent in general mobile app studies, focus inquiry on app content and/or design only. This study advances these areas of study by extending inquiry to the mobile app audience by exploring how Evangelical Christians actually choose and use religious mobile apps, and how app engagement informs their religious identities. Data from qualitative digital diary reports and in-depth interviews were analyzed within Campbell’s networked religion framework, specifically through the storied identity and networked community concepts. Findings explicate the combination of online and offline resources used for choosing apps, shifting core religious practices from offline to mobile contexts, and a lack of networked community engagement for sharing private religious app experiences. %B New Media & Society %V 19 %P 111-125 %G eng %U http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1461444816649922 %N 1 %0 Book Section %B Religion Online: Finding Faith on the Internet %D 2004 %T The Internet as Virtual Spiritual Community: Teen Witches in the United States and Australia %A Berger, Helen %A Douglas, Ezzy %K Australia %K neo-pagan %K religion %K United State %K Virtual %K witches %X After sex, religion is one of the most popular and pervasive topics of interest online, with over three million Americans turning to the internet each day for religious information and spiritual guidance. Tens of thousands of elaborate websites are dedicated to every manner of expression.Religion Onlineprovides an accessible and comprehensive introduction to this burgeoning new religious reality, from cyberpilgrimages to neo-pagan chatroom communities. A substantial introduction by the editors presenting the main themes and issues is followed by sixteen chapters addressing core issues of concern such as youth, religion and the internet, new religious movements and recruitment, propaganda and the countercult, and religious tradition and innovation. The volume also includes thePew Internet and American Life ProjectExecutiveSummary, the most comprehensive and widely cited study on how Americans pursue religion online, and Steven O'Leary's field-definingCyberspace as SacredSpace. %B Religion Online: Finding Faith on the Internet %I Routledge %C New York %P 175-188 %G English %U http://books.google.com/books?id=xy0PJrrWXH4C&pg=PA163&lpg=PA163&dq=The+Internet+as+Virtual+Spiritual+Community:+Teen+Witches+in+the+United+States+and+Australia.+In+Religion+Online:+Finding+Faith+on+the+Internet&source=bl&ots=ahRdNXH5kL&sig=0e7v2M0VD1breU %1 Lorne Dawson and Douglas Cowan %0 Journal Article %J Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion %D 2009 %T Mass media and religious identity: a case study of young witches %A Berger, H. %A Ezzy, D. %X Drawing on interviews with 90 young people who have become Witches, we explore the visual media's influence on identity formation and maintenance. Witchcraft is a late modern religion that is highly individualistic and many young people report they have become a Witch without any interaction with other Witches. The rapid growth of interest in this religion among the young since The Craft was first shown provides an important example of the mass media's role in formation of contemporary religious identity. We argue that representations of Witchcraft in the visual mass media (along with other cultural trends such as environmentalism, feminism, and individualism) and cultural resources such as books, Internet sites, and magazines provide a mediated form of social interaction that sustains the plausibility of Witchcraft as a religion. It also helps the young to develop and legitimate their beliefs and practices and develop their Witchcraft persona. %B Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion %V 48 %P 501-514 %G English %U http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-5906.2009.01462.x/abstract %N 3 %0 Journal Article %J Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion %D 2009 %T Mass Media and Religious Identity: A Case Study of Young Witches %A Berger, Helen %A Douglas Ezzy %K alternative religion online %K identity %K teen witches %B Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion %V 48 %P 501-514 %G English %N 3 %& 501 %0 Journal Article %J International Communication Gazette %D 2014 %T Hijabers: How young urban muslim women redefine themselves in Indonesia %A Beta, Annisa R %X This paper analyzes the dissemination of ‘Hijaber’ style through different forms of cyber media (blogs and social network sites) in order to determine how young, computer savvy Muslim Indonesians explore their gender and religious identities while working in the ‘creative economy’ through cyberspace. This article shows the plurality and flexibility of the Hijaber trend—compared to more conventional forms—and explores its significance for urban Indonesian youth. %B International Communication Gazette %G eng %U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1748048514524103 %0 Journal Article %J New Media & Society %D 2019 %T Commerce, piety and politics: Indonesian young Muslim women’s groups as religious influencers %A Beta, Annisa R %X The article discusses the indiscernibility of social-media-based young Muslim women’s groups’ (YMWGs) transformative roles in socio-political analysis, standing in contrast to the groups’ visibility in Indonesian young women’s everyday lives. How does the (in)visibility of the YMWGs reconfigure the (political) subjectivity of Muslim womanhood? How should we understand the influence of this form of ‘women’s movement’ in the re-invention of Muslim identity? This article proposes the notion of ‘social media religious influencer’ to understand the groups’ conflation of religious, political and commercial elements in their online and offline representations and their encouragement to their followers to do self-transformation. The article demonstrates how, although such creative conflation challenges prevailing ideas about young Muslim women, it requires the young women to remain and take part in the prevailing gender regime by maintaining female conformity. %B New Media & Society %G eng %U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1461444819838774 %0 Generic %D 2009 %T Religion on the Internet: Cyborg Anthropology and Religion 2.0 %A Annie Blakeney-Glazer %K cyborg %K internet %K religion %X The central claim of this course is that technology affects understandings of community and identity. As anthropologists, we will investigate online religious communities in order to learn how religious practices and beliefs function in virtual spaces. By the end of the semester, you will be able to analyze and explain online religious practices as well as analyze and explain your own role as an anthropologist of online religion. This course will be driven by your own research. Each of you will investigate a specific online religious community over the course of the semester, asking: how does religion function online? How do people interact without bodies? How can a scholar represent an online community to an outside audience? %I Millsaps College %C Jackson, Mississippi %8 Spring 2009 %G eng %U not found %0 Journal Article %J New Media and Society %D 2016 %T Media Theology: New Communication Technologies as religious constructs, metaphors, and experiences %A Blondheim, Manaheim %A Rosenberg, Hananel %K Biblical media %K information and communication technology (ICT) %K internet %K media theology %K New Media %K religion %K religious experience %K science technology society (STS) %X Recent studies have seen religious observance as inherently related to available communication technologies. This study follows this thrust but complements the focus on religious praxis with a look at media theology—the ideological dimension of the religion and media nexus. It traces three distinct facets of media theology: the way religious sensibilities affect how we create, shape, apply, and establish a relationship with media technologies; how media technologies serve as tools for grasping aspects of theology; and finally, how media use can launch mental and existential religious experiences. The study’s orientation is historical, charting the development of the relationship between media technologies and the religious mind in the Abrahamic religions from the biblical media of fire and cloud through script and electric communications and all the way to the Internet. Keywords %B New Media and Society %V 1 %G eng %U http://nms.sagepub.com/cgi/doi/10.1177/1461444816649915 %N 9 %R 10.1177/1461444816649915 %0 Journal Article %J Media, Culture & Society %D 2017 %T Religion, communications, and Judaism: the case of digital Chabad %A Blondheim, Menahem %A Katz, Elihu %X In their article on ‘Building the Sacred Community Online’, Oren Golan and Nurit Stadler zoom in on the latest attempts of Chabad, the extrovert Jewish Hasidic group, to harness the newest digital technologies to propagate and popularize its staunchly traditionalist reading of Jewish heritage. Also known as ‘Lubavitch’, Chabad is the Hebrew acronym of ‘Wisdom, Intellect, Knowledge’, three of the more elevated kabalistic spheres (cf. Proverbs 3, 19–20). To many, Chabad’s embrace of communication technologies looks like an example of enlisting the devil to do God’s work, though it does not look like that to them. This paradox, and Golan and Stadler’s account of its newest coming, touches on some of the most fundamental issues of Jewish communications, as well as the much broader problem of religion and communications. The general religion and communication nexus may be divided into two major themes. One is the issue of religious communications, or media theology – namely, the problem of interaction of God and humans. But it also consists of the issue of communicating religion, namely, the handling and disseminating of what the religious believe to be a divine message in this world. As we shall see, both these issues are particularly relevant to Chabad. But the more immediate context for understanding Chabad and its use of media is the universe of Jewish communications. Here too there is a duality: ‘Jewish’ connotes both Jews and Judaism – a social entity and a religion – and here too, both aspects are relevant to understanding Chabad’s media practices today. %B Media, Culture & Society %G eng %U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0163443715615417 %0 Journal Article %J Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion %D 2011 %T Baring Their Souls in Online Profiles or Not? Religious Self-Disclosure in Social Media %A Piotr S. Bobkowski %A Lisa D. Pearce %K emerging adults %K New Media %K religious identity %K self-disclosure %K social media %X This study measured the prevalence of religious self-disclosure in public MySpace profiles that belonged to a subsample of National Study of Youth and Religion (NSYR) wave 3 respondents (N = 560). Personal attributes associated with religious identification as well as the overall quantity of religious self-disclosures are examined. A majority (62 percent) of profile owners identified their religious affiliations online, although relatively few profile owners (30 percent) said anything about religion outside the religion-designated field. Most affiliation reports (80 percent) were consistent with the profile owner's reported affiliation on the survey. Religious profile owners disclosed more about religion when they also believed that religion is a public matter or if they evaluated organized religion positively. Evangelical Protestants said more about religion than other respondents. Religiosity, believing that religion is a public matter, and the religiosity of profile owners’ friendship group were all positively associated with religious identification and self-disclosure. %B Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion %V 50 %G eng %U http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1468-5906.2011.01597.x/abstract;jsessionid=9B8826AC18C2E87FC1ED90C4479B63D2.f01t04 %N 4 %& 744 %0 Book %D 2008 %T Coming of Age in Second Life. An Anthropologist Explores the Virtually Human %A Boellstorff, T. %K anthropology %K Second Life %K Virtual %X Millions of people around the world today spend portions of their lives in online virtual worlds. Second Life is one of the largest of these virtual worlds. The residents of Second Life create communities, buy property and build homes, go to concerts, meet in bars, attend weddings and religious services, buy and sell virtual goods and services, find friendship, fall in love--the possibilities are endless, and all encountered through a computer screen. Coming of Age in Second Life is the first book of anthropology to examine this thriving alternate universe. Tom Boellstorff conducted more than two years of fieldwork in Second Life, living among and observing its residents in exactly the same way anthropologists traditionally have done to learn about cultures and social groups in the so-called real world. He conducted his research as the avatar "Tom Bukowski," and applied the rigorous methods of anthropology to study many facets of this new frontier of human life, including issues of gender, race, sex, money, conflict and antisocial behavior, the construction of place and time, and the interplay of self and group.Coming of Age in Second Life shows how virtual worlds can change ideas about identity and society. Bringing anthropology into territory never before studied, this book demonstrates that in some ways humans have always been virtual, and that virtual worlds in all their rich complexity build upon a human capacity for culture that is as old as humanity itself. %I Princeton University Press %C Princeton, NJ %G English %U http://books.google.com/books?id=wjGYLP02cXUC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false %0 Book Section %B Dynamics Of Mediatization %D 2017 %T The Complexities of Mediatization: Charting the Road Ahead %A Bolin, G %A Hepp, A %K mediatization %X This chapter discusses some of the complexities of mediatization that have appeared in the volume. Firstly, we reflect on the complexities related to the institutional, cultural and social dimensions of mediatization as well as the various levels of mediatization (e.g., with reference to a macro-micro scale). Secondly, on this basis, we systematize the main features that run through the complex nature of the mediatization process, and we account for three kinds of complexity: the complexity of the media environment or landscape, the complexity of an entanglement of practices with digital media technologies, and the complexity of the levels of analysis. Reflecting these complexities, in a third section, the chapter delineates some future trajectories of mediatization research. %B Dynamics Of Mediatization %I Palgrave Macmillan, Cham %P 315-331 %G eng %U https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-62983-4_15#citeas %1 Driessens O., Bolin G., Hepp A., Hjarvard S. %0 Journal Article %J Corporate Communications: An International Journal %D 2011 %T Mapping and leveraging influencers in social media to shape corporate brand perceptions %A Norman Booth %A Matic, J. A. %X The emerging new influencer community is wielding significant power over the perceptions of brands and companies, largely driven by the rapid expansion of social media channels through which influencers communicate. The “nobodies” of the past are now the new “somebodies” demanding the attention of communication professionals who seek continuous engagement with targeted consumers throughout the various channels of the social web. The purpose of this paper is to present a means of identifying these new “somebodies”. %B Corporate Communications: An International Journal %G eng %U https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/13563281111156853/full/html %R https://doi.org/10.1108/13563281111156853 %0 Book %D 2003 %T Power failure: Christianity in the culture of technology %A Borgmann, A. %X We live in a culture shaped and fueled by technology. Usually we equate access to technology with opportunity and the chance to pursue "the good life." Power Failure raises some crucial, if disconcerting, questions about technology: If technology liberates us, what kind of liberation does it promise? Are we prospering, and by what definition? Albert Borgmann looks at the relationship between Christianity and technology by examining some of the "invisible" dangers of a technology-driven lifestyle. Specifically, he points out how utility and consumption have replaced connection to physical things and meaningful practices in everyday life. Power Failure calls us to redeem and restrain technology through simple Christian practices, including citizen-based decision making, shared meals, and daily Scripture reading. %I Brazos Press %C Grand Rapids, MI %G English %U http://books.google.com/books/about/Power_failure.html?id=NVfXAAAAMAAJ %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Communication Inquiry %D 2015 %T Religious memetics. Institutional authority in digital/lived religion %A Borrough, B %A Feller, G %K Digital Religion %K religious memetics %X Recently leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS/Mormon) faith have called upon members to “sweep the earth” with positive religious messages through social media. This digital moment in Mormonism exemplifies the interrelation and concomitant tension between everyday lived religion, technology, and religious institutions. While studies on digital religion have emphasized the push of participatory culture into everyday lived religion, this research on religious memes contributes to an emergent vein of digital religion scholarship focused on institutional authority. In our analysis of the “doubt your doubts” meme and antimemes we theorize religious memetics as a space for the reconnection of the everydayness of religious practice, which boils down meaningful moments of faith into facile, nonthreatening avenues for sharing religion. While this is beneficial for institutions, the reflexive and metonymic function of religious memes ruptures routine, offering participants momentary pauses from the demands of orthodox religious life. %B Journal of Communication Inquiry %V 39 %P 357-377 %G eng %U http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0196859915603096 %N 4 %0 Book %D 2020 %T Perplexed Religion %A Diez bosch, Miriam %A Melloni, Alberto %A Micò, Josep Luis %I Observatory of Media, Religion and Culture %G eng %U http://www.obsblanquerna.com/perplexed-religion-3/ %0 Journal Article %J Prisma Social revista de investigación social %D 2017 %T Open wall churches. Catholic construction of online communities %A Bosch, M.D. %A Sanz, J.LM. %A Abello, J.M.C %A Sanchez, J.S.I %A Gauxachs, A.S %K Catholic %K churches %K online communities %X The discussion regarding how global Catholic organizations have employed the new tools of digital media has become increasingly poignant and no longer focuses on liturgical limitations but on participation, social justice and new frameworks for reaching new targets. From the Vatican itself, specifically through the Pope’s profiles on social media, Catholicism has proven to have an increasingly responsive presence on the web, although Catholics are usually creative without breaking the rules in the ways they extend their religiosity into new platforms. Newly born digital portals have embraced new participatory tools that shape other ways of understanding communion, which is a key concept among Christian communities. Rather than dwelling on whether Catholic portals are incorporating secular strategies to foster engagement, we explore the 19 most powerful Catholic websites according to Alexa ranking, and divide them into different categories that allow us to analyse how they build communities and thus foster the concept of belonging, which is one of the aims that they pursue. Data have been collected in three different moments (2014, 2015 and 2016) where these websites, belonging to 5 languages (Spanish, English, French, Portuguese and Italian) from 9 countries have been taken into account, according to Catholic population indexes. %B Prisma Social revista de investigación social %P 298-323 %G eng %U https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/articulo?codigo=6234753 %N 19 %0 Journal Article %J Church, Communication and Culture %D 2017 %T Typing my Religion. Digital use of religious webs and apps by adolescents and youth for religious and interreligious dialogue %A Bosch, Míriam Díez %A Sanz, Josep Lluís Micó %A Gauxachs, Alba Sabaté %X With 13 religions, 8061 religious centers, 2 million of young people, Catalonia accommodates a wide range of religions. Almost 90% of people own digital devices. In this framework, we aim to study the consumption of digital media by Catalan millennials from all over the region, with only young people from the city of Barcelona being excluded for the purpose of analysis in future projects. Religious apps, games, websites, online communities and participation in forums are some of the main issues we want to explore. We also aim to establish whether or not these devices contribute to consolidate online religious communities and to achieve inter-religious dialogue. For fulfilling this goal, we surveyed more than 1800 young people aged 12–18 years. Methodology also included in-depth interviews with coordinators from youth organizations and netnography. This research is based on previous investigations into communication, digital media, sociology and religion by authors such as Campbell, Elzo, Leurs and Hemming. %B Church, Communication and Culture %G eng %U https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/23753234.2017.1347800 %0 Book Section %B Media, Religion and Gender Key Issues and New Challenges %D 2013 %T Lwa Like Me: Gender, Sexuality and Vodou Online %A Alexandra Boutros %K Digital Religion %K GENDER %K New Media %K online activities %B Media, Religion and Gender Key Issues and New Challenges %I Routledge %G eng %U http://www.routledge.com/books/details/9780415504737/ %1 Mia Lövheim %& 7 %0 Journal Article %J Nordic Journal of Religion and Society %D 2018 %T Trending #hijabfashion: Using Big Data to Study Religion at the Online–Urban Interface %A Boy, John D. %A Uitermark, Justus %A Wiersma, Laïla %X This article discusses the potential and the limitations of big data analysis for the study of religion. While big data analysis is often perceived as overtly positivistic because of its quantitative and computational nature, we argue instead that it lends itself to an induc-tive approach. Since the data are typically not collected for the purpose of testing specific hypotheses, it can best be seen as a resource for serendipitous exploration. We therefore pose a number of substantive research questions regarding the global circulation and local mediation of sartorial styles and practices among Muslim women. We present an analysis of the #hijabfashion hashtag on Instagram, drawing on a database of 15 million posts. %B Nordic Journal of Religion and Society %G eng %U https://www.researchgate.net/publication/325186172_Trending_hijabfashion_Using_Big_Data_to_Study_Religion_at_the_Online-Urban_Interface %0 Book Section %B Youth, Identity, and Digital Media Volume %D 2007 %T Why Youth Heart Social Network Sites %A Boyd, Danah %K Social Networking %K Young %K Youth %X Social network sites like MySpace and Facebook serve as "networked publics." As with unmediated publics like parks and malls, youth use networked publics to gather, socialize with their peers, and make sense of and help build the culture around them. This article examines American youth engagement in networked publics and considers how properties unique to such mediated environments (e.g., persistence, searchability, replicability, and invisible audiences) affect the ways in which youth interact with one another. Ethnographic data is used to analyze how youth recognize these structural properties and find innovative ways of making these systems serve their purposes. Issues like privacy and impression management are explored through the practices of teens and youth participation in social network sites is situated in a historical discussion of youth's freedom and mobility in the United States. %B Youth, Identity, and Digital Media Volume %I MIT Press %C Cambridge, MA %P 119-142 %G eng %U http://www.danah.org/papers/WhyYouthHeart.pdf %0 Report %D 2012 %T More Than Half of Mobile Users Avoid Certain Apps Due to Privacy Concerns %A Jan Lauren Boyles %A Aaron Smith %A Mary Madden %K App %K Privacy %X More than half of mobile application users have uninstalled or avoided certain apps due to concerns about the way personal information is shared or collected by the app, according to a nationally representative telephone survey conducted by the Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project. %B Privacy and Data Management on Mobile Devices %I Pew Research Center’s Internet & American Life Project %C Washington, D.C. %8 09/2012 %G eng %U http://pewinternet.org/~/media//Files/Reports/2012/PIP_MobilePrivacyManagement.pdf %9 Report %0 Book %D 2004 %T Give Me That Online Religion %A Brasher, B %K online religion %X As the Internet and the World Wide Web overcome barriers of time and space, religion enjoys an ever-increasing accessibility on a global scale. Inevitably, people online have sought out encounters with the otherworldly, launching religion into cyberspace. In this compelling book, Brenda Brasher explores the meaning of electronic faith and the future of traditional religion. %I Rutgers University Press %C New Jersey %G eng %U https://books.google.com/books/about/Give_Me_that_Online_Religion.html?id=oMpwqAiWHpoC %0 Book %D 2001 %T Give me that online religion %A Brasher, Brenda %K Online %K religion %X As the Internet and the World Wide Web overcome barriers of time and space, religion enjoys an ever-increasing accessibility on a global scale. Inevitably, people online have sought out encounters with the otherworldly, launching religion into cyberspace. In this compelling book, Brenda Brasher explores the meaning of electronic faith and the future of traditional religion. Operating online allows long-established religious communities to reach hearts and minds as never before. Yet more startling is the case by which anyone with Internet access can create new circles of faith. Bringing religion online also narrows the gap between pop culture and the sacred. Electronic shrines and kitschy personal Web "altars" idolize living celebrities, just as they honor the memory of religious martyrs. Looking ahead, Brasher envisions a world in which cyber-concepts and technologies challenge conventional notions about the human condition, while still attempting to realize age-old religious ideals such as transcendence and eternal life. As the Internet continues its rapid absorption of culture, Give Me That Online Religion offers pause for thought about spirituality in the cyberage. Religion's move to the online world does not mean technology's triumph over faith. Rather, Brasher argues, it assures religion's place in the wired universe, meeting the spiritual demands of Internet generations to come. %I Jossey-Bass Publishers %C California %G English %U http://books.google.com/books?id=oMpwqAiWHpoC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false %0 Conference Paper %B 4th Workshop international Essachess: Média, spiritualité et laïcité : Regards croisés franco-roumains %D 2015 %T La foi et le langage : paradigmes de sens pour les médias %A Bratosin, Stefan %K Faith %K freedom of opinion %K language %K media %K mediatization %K religion %K secularization %X Cette communication tâchera de montrer dans la perspective d'une épistémologie sociale que les paradigmes de sens irréductibles pour toute type de médiatisation sont la foi et le langage. Elle produira une argumentation en faveur de l'hypothèse que ce qui est fondamentalement spécifique pour les différents approches médiatiques de la réalité ne réside pas dans la production de sens, mais dans la direction que chaque type de médiatisation se donne pour orienter la vie de l'individu, de la société et d’une manière générale du monde. Enfin, la communication apportera une lecture de la liberté de conscience dans ce contexte où l'être humain - un existant donné - doit s' "in-former" sous la pression de l'être social - un existant historique construit collectivement. %B 4th Workshop international Essachess: Média, spiritualité et laïcité : Regards croisés franco-roumains %I Iarsic %C Bucarest-Villa Noel %8 12/2015 %@ 978-2-9532450-6-6 %G eng %U http://www.ssoar.info/ssoar/bitstream/handle/document/45600/ssoar-2015-bratosin-La_foi_et_le_langage.pdf?sequence=3 %0 Journal Article %J Journal for the Study of Religions and Ideologies %D 2014 %T Church In The Public Sphere: Production Of Meaning Between Rational And Irrational %A Bratosin, Stefan %K Church %K Faith %K media %K production of meaning %K public sphere %K religion %K symbolic forms %X In the public sphere and especially in the media, the discourse on the Church and about the Church on faith and religion is often tainted by the confusion of meaning due, among other things, to the mutual borrowing less rigorous – epistemologically and methodologically – of the concepts which engage various disciplines (theology, sociology, anthropology, political science, information and communication science, and so on) who take possession of problematic centered on the relation between mankind and divinity. This article presents some basic benchmarks for analyzing and understanding the construction of meaning as well as the rationality or irrationality of these issues by convening the disciplinary distinction between the content of the concepts of organization and that of the institution. %B Journal for the Study of Religions and Ideologies %V Vol 13 %P 3-20 %8 07/2014 %G eng %U http://jsri.ro/ojs/index.php/jsri/article/view/741 %N 38 %& 3 %0 Conference Proceedings %D 2015 %T Média, spiritualité et laïcité : Regards croisés franco-roumains %A Bratosin, Stefan %K France %K laïcité %K media %K secularity %K Spirituality %X This scientific event brought together different authorities, academic institutions and political and media organizations at the Villa Noël in Bucharest to make an assessment on the sensitive questions related to religious freedom and liberty of conscience, on spirituality and secularity, full of meaning symbols, with a significant emotional and ethical charge. This book is a contribution to the public sphere debate on the secularity and the spirituality in the service of freedom considering two paradigmatic cases, two European countries: Romania – statistically the most religious country of Europe, and France – statistically the less religious country of Europe. *** Cette manifestation scientifique a réuni différentes instances, institutions et organisations académiques, politiques et médiatiques à la Villa Noël afin de dresser un bilan sur les questionnements sensibles liés à la liberté religieuse et de conscience, à la spiritualité et à la laïcité, symboles chargés de sens intellectuel, éthique et émotionnel. Les communications sont une contribution au débat concernant la prise de distance épistémologique et éthique « politiquement correct » pour une laïcité et une spiritualité au service de la liberté en considérant deux cas paradigmatiques, deux pays européens, la Roumanie et la France, dont l'un est statistiquement le plus religieux de l'Europe et l'autre le moins religieux, et qui, dans leurs espaces publics respectifs, déclinent différemment la relation entre spiritualité et laïcité. %7 Iarsic %I Iarsic %C Les Arcs/France %P 146 %@ 978-2953245066 %G eng %U http://iarsic.com/en/product/media-spiritualite-et-laicite-regards-croises-franco-roumains/ %0 Conference Proceedings %B Espace Public et Communication de la Foi %D 2014 %T Espace public et communication de la foi %A Bratosin, Stefan %A Tudor, Mihaela-Alexandra %K communication – group and community %K Faith %K public sphere %K religion %X Questioning the faith in its communicability in the public sphere is an open issue. This book is the evidence that, according to Gilbert Durand reflection on the sacred expressed in an interview for Essachess - Journal for Communication Studies in 2011, shortly before his death, the communication of faith in the public sphere seems "both changing and unchanging", changing because the communication as production of the meaning in a practiced context makes it changing and unchanging because it is always related to a single Truth. *** Interroger la foi dans sa communicabilité dans l'espace public demeure un chantier ouvert. Cet ouvrage représente le témoignage que, selon une réflexion de Gilbert Durand sur le sacré exprimée dans un entretien pour Essachess - Journal for Communication Studies en 2011, peu avant sa mort, la communication de la foi dans l'espace public semble « à la fois changeante et immuable », changeante car la communication comme production de sens dans un contexte pratiqué la rend changeante et immuable car elle reste toujours liée à une seule et unique Vérité. %B Espace Public et Communication de la Foi %7 Iarsic %I Iarsic %C Les Arcs/France %P 510 %8 12/2014 %@ 978-2953245028 %G eng %U http://iarsic.com/en/product/espace-public-et-communication-de-la-foi/ %0 Journal Article %J Social Compass %D 2016 %T La médialisation du religieux dans la théorie du post néo-protestantisme %A Bratosin, Stefan %K internet %K medialization %K post neo-Protestantism %K postmodernism %K religion %X This article proposes a theory of post neo-Protestantism highlighting the key relationships maintained by this new postmodern manner of thinking and living religion with the medialization, that is to say, with the ‘mediatization of everything’ as a model of public communication developed in favor of broadband internet, wireless internet or social media. In this perspective, it is shown that post neo-Protestantism is basically the virtualization of neo-Protestantism still clinging to modernity and the communicative individual pragmatics of this virtualization now inescapably linked to new media. %B Social Compass %V Vol. 63 %P 1-16 %8 July/2016 %G eng %U http://scp.sagepub.com/content/early/2016/07/19/0037768616652335.full.pdf?ijkey=mTGIzHzyxkVZAYF&keytype=finite %N 3 %9 peer reviewed %& 1 %R 10.1177/0037768616652335 %0 Book Section %B Cyberculture Now %D 2013 %T Initial Steps towards a Theory of Cyberspace %A Harris Breslow %K Cyberculture studies %K Cyberspace Theory %K digital storytelling %K Internet and New Media %K Virtual Environment %K Web Anthropology %K Web Sociology %B Cyberculture Now %I Inter-Disciplinary Press %G eng %U https://www.interdisciplinarypress.net/online-store/ebooks/digital-humanities/cyberculture-now %1 Anna Maj %0 Book %D 1997 %T Virtual Gods %A Brooke, Tal %K Gods %K Virtual %X Millions of computer users have discovered that cyberspace allows them to leap over barriers of time, place, and social status to connect with people from all over the world. Long after this book was written it foresaw alienation in cyberspace. Now a Harvard dropout named Mark Zuckerberg has given the world Facebook, becoming a billionaire in his twenties. Facebook has shown how untold numbers crave social connection so desperately -- even people they have never met -- that they will divulge anything to drive their ratings up. There are other doorways in this rapidly expanding digital universe. Virtual reality and holograms are poised to explode. Digital special effects in movies such as James Cameron's groundbreaking film Avatar -- shown in 3D on IMAX with scenes of computer generated synthetic reality -- have shown where this technology can take us. Audiences are craving the next leap beyond Avatar.Virtual Gods is a book written before its time. It explores technological doorways still ahead that could open the way to a future only partially glimpsed by such writers as Aldous Huxley, who showed us so much in his prescient Brave New World. Ahead are invasive aspects to this emerging technology--the ability to spy on subjects, inject microchips, etc -- that would have given George Orwell chills. It is worth a deeper look, which this book provides. %I Harvest House. %C Eugene, Oregon %G English %0 Book %D 2014 %T Ready to be a thought leader? How to increase your influence, impact, and success %A Denise Brosseau %X The how-to guide to becoming a go-to expert Within their fields, thought leaders are sources of inspiration and innovation. They have the gift of harnessing their expertise and their networks to make their innovative thoughts real and replicable, sparking sustainable change and even creating movements around their ideas. In Ready to Be a Thought Leader?, renowned executive talent agent Denise Brosseau shows readers how to develop and use that gift as she maps the path from successful executive, professional, or civic leader to respected thought leader. With the author's proven seven-step process―and starting from wherever they are in their careers―readers can set a course for maximum impact in their field. These guidelines, along with stories, tips, and success secrets from those who have successfully made the transition to high-profile thought leader, allow readers to create a long-term plan and start putting it into action today, even if they only have 15 minutes to spare. Offers a step-by-step process for becoming a recognized thought leader in your field Includes real-world examples from such high-profile thought leaders as Robin Chase, founder and former CEO of Zipcar; Chip Conley, author of PEAK and former CEO of JDV Hospitality; and more Written by Denise Brosseau, founder of Thought Leadership Lab, an executive talent agency that helps executives become thought leaders, who has worked with start-up CEOs and leaders from such firms as Apple, Genentech, Symantec, Morgan Stanley, Medtronic, KPMG, DLA Piper, and more Ready to Be a Thought Leader? offers essential reading for anyone ready to expand their influence, increase their professional success, have an impact far beyond a single organization and industry, and ultimately leave a legacy that matters. %I Jossey-Bass Publishing %C California %G eng %U https://www.amazon.com/Ready-Be-Thought-Leader-Influence/dp/1118647610 %0 Journal Article %J Social Media + Society %D 2017 %T The Religious Facebook Experience: Uses and Gratifications of Faith-Based Content %A Brubaker, Pamela Jo %A Haigh, Michel M. %X This study explores why Christians (N = 335) use Facebook for religious purposes and the needs engaging with religious content on Facebook gratifies. Individuals who access faith-based content on Facebook were recruited to participate in an online survey through a series of Facebook advertisements. An exploratory factor analysis revealed four primary motivations for accessing religious Facebook content: ministering, spiritual enlightenment, religious information, and entertainment. Along with identifying the uses and gratifications received from engaging with faith-based Facebook content, this research reveals how the frequency of Facebook use, the intensity of Facebook use for religious purposes, and also religiosity predict motivations for accessing this social networking site for faith-based purposes. The data revealed those who frequently use Facebook for posting, liking, commenting, and sharing faith-based content and who are more religious are more likely to minister to others. Frequent use also predicted seeking religious information. The affiliation with like-minded individuals afforded by this medium provides faith-based users with supportive content and communities that motivate the use of Facebook for obtaining spiritual guidance, for accessing religious resources, and for relaxing and being entertained. %B Social Media + Society %G eng %U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/2056305117703723 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Information Science %D 2013 %T The presentation of self in the online world: Goffman and the study of online identities %A Liam Bullingham %A Ana C. Vasconcelos %X This paper presents an exemplification and discussion of the contemporaneity of Erving Goffman’s work and of its applicability to the analysis of identity and presentation of self in the blogging and Second Life (SL) contexts. An analysis of online identity and interaction practices in 10 different cases of bloggers and SL inhabitants and of their online spaces is presented in terms of: expressions given; embellishment as a minor form of persona adoption; dividing the self; conforming and ‘fitting in’; and masking, anonymity and pseudonimity. The key finding of the research is that, contrary to engaging with the process of whole persona adoption, participants were keen to re-create their offline self online, but engaged in editing facets of self. This emphasizes the key premise in Goffman’s work that, when in ‘front stage’, people deliberately chose to project a given identity. It is concluded that Goffman’s original framework is of great usefulness as an explanatory framework for understanding identity through interaction and the presentation of self in the online world. Equally, the online environment, with its enhanced potential for editing the self, can offer opportunities to contribute to the further development of the Goffman framework. %B Journal of Information Science %G eng %U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/0165551512470051?journalCode=jisb %0 Book %D 2000 %T Virtually Islamic: Computer-Mediated Communication and Cyber Islamic Environments %A Gary Bunt %I University of Wales Press %C Lampeter, Wales %0 Book %D 2009 %T IMuslims: Rewiring the House of Islam %A Gary Bunt %K information and communication technology %K Islam %K social networks %K study of religion %X Exploring the increasing impact of the Internet on Muslims around the world, this book sheds new light on the nature of contemporary Islamic discourse, identity, and community. The Internet has profoundly shaped how both Muslims and non-Muslims perceive Islam and how Islamic societies and networks are evolving and shifting in the twenty-first century, says Gary Bunt. While Islamic society has deep historical patterns of global exchange, the Internet has transformed how many Muslims practice the duties and rituals of Islam. A place of religious instruction may exist solely in the virtual world, for example, or a community may gather only online. Drawing on more than a decade of online research, Bunt shows how social-networking sites, blogs, and other "cyber-Islamic environments" have exposed Muslims to new influences outside the traditional spheres of Islamic knowledge and authority. Furthermore, the Internet has dramatically influenced forms of Islamic activism and radicalization, including jihad-oriented campaigns by networks such as al-Qaeda. By surveying the broad spectrum of approaches used to present dimensions of Islamic social, spiritual, and political life on the Internet, iMuslimsencourages diverse understandings of online Islam and of Islam generally. %I UNC Press %C Chapel Hill, NC %G English %U http://books.google.com/books?id=qIbwHwTYqqcC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false %0 Book Section %B Religion Online: Finding Faith on the Internet %D 2004 %T Rip.Burn.Pray: Islamic Expression Online %A Gary Bunt %K Islam %K Online %K Prayer %X After sex, religion is one of the most popular and pervasive topics of interest online, with over three million Americans turning to the internet each day for religious information and spiritual guidance. Tens of thousands of elaborate websites are dedicated to every manner of expression.Religion Onlineprovides an accessible and comprehensive introduction to this burgeoning new religious reality, from cyberpilgrimages to neo-pagan chatroom communities. A substantial introduction by the editors presenting the main themes and issues is followed by sixteen chapters addressing core issues of concern such as youth, religion and the internet, new religious movements and recruitment, propaganda and the countercult, and religious tradition and innovation. The volume also includes thePew Internet and American Life ProjectExecutiveSummary, the most comprehensive and widely cited study on how Americans pursue religion online, and Steven O'Leary's field-definingCyberspace as SacredSpace. %B Religion Online: Finding Faith on the Internet %I Routledge %C New York %P 123-134 %G English %U http://books.google.com/books?id=xy0PJrrWXH4C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false %0 Journal Article %J Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations %D 1999 %T islam@britain.net: ‘British Muslim’ identities in Cyberspace %A Bunt, Gary R. %X The Internet represents a significant communication tool for the expression of Islamic concepts and notions of identity, on web pages ranging from the constructs of organizations through to the pronouncements of individuals. Cyber Islamic Environments provide indicators of what it means to be a ‘Muslim’ in Britain that augment other sources of knowledge. This paper presents an overview of prominent sites, and introduces issues connected with studying Islam and Muslims through this electronic medium. %B Islam and Christian–Muslim Relations %G eng %U https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/09596419908721192 %0 Book %D 2003 %T Islam in the Digital Age: E-jihad, Online Fatwas and Cyber Islamic Environments %A Gary Bunt %K cyber %K Digital %K fatwas %K Islam %K jihad %X The Internet is very big in the Arab world. After Al-Jazeera, it is the second most important source of dissenting opinion. Literally, millions of people in the Muslim world rely on web-sites to get their information and fatwas. A whole new life of cyber Imams and a new culture is emerging through Internet programmes and will have a profound effect on Arab consciousness. This book documents all this and examines various sites and offers the first comprehensive analysis of the impact of the Internet on Islamic culture. Zia Sardar, author of Postmodernism and the Other and Why Do People Hate America. The Internet is an increasingly important source of information for many people in the Muslim world. Many Muslims in majority and minority contexts rely on the Internet -- including websites and e-mail -- as a primary source of news, information and communication about Islam. As a result, a new media culture is emerging which is having a significant impact on areas of global Muslim consciousness. Post-September 11th, this phenomenon has grown more rapidly than ever.Gary R. Bunt provides a fascinating account of the issues at stake, identifying two radical new concepts: Firstly, the emergence of e-jihad ('Electronic Jihad') originating from diverse Muslim perspectives -- this is described in its many forms relating to the different definitions of 'jihad', including on-line activism (ranging from promoting militaristic activities to hacking, to co-ordinating peaceful protests) and Muslim expression post 9/11. Secondly, he discusses religious authority on the Internet -- including the concept of on-line fatwas and their influence in diverse settings, and the complexities of conflicting notions of religious authority. %I Pluto Press %C London %G English %0 Book %D 2016 %T Christians Under Covers: Evangelicals and Sexual Pleasure on the Internet %A Burke, K %K Christians %K Evangelicals %K internet %K sexual behavior %X Christians under Covers shifts how scholars and popular media talk about religious conservatives and sex. Moving away from debates over homosexuality, premarital sex, and other perceived sexual sins, Kelsy Burke examines Christian sexuality websites to show how some evangelical Christians use digital media to promote the idea that God wants married, heterosexual couples to have satisfying sex lives. These evangelicals maintain their religious beliefs while incorporating feminist and queer language into their talk of sexuality—encouraging sexual knowledge, emphasizing women’s pleasure, and justifying marginal sexual practices within Christian marriages. This illuminating ethnography complicates the boundaries between normal and subversive, empowered and oppressed, and sacred and profane. %I University of California Press %C Berkeley, CA %G eng %U https://books.google.com/books?id=2aowDwAAQBAJ&dq=internet+and+Christians&lr=&source=gbs_navlinks_s %0 Book Section %B Communities in Cyberspace %D 1999 %T Reading race on-line; discovering racial identity in usenet discussions %A Burkhalter, B %K identity %K internet %K race %K Usenet %X This wide-ranging introductory text looks at the virtual community of cyberspace and analyses its relationship to real communities lived out in today's societies. Issues such as race, gender, power, economics and ethics in cyberspace are grouped under four main sections and discussed by leading experts: * identity * social order and control * community structure and dynamics * collective action. This topical new book displays how the idea of community is being challenged and rewritten by the increasing power and range of cyberspace. As new societies and relationships are formed in this virtual landscape, we now have to consider the potential consequences this may have on our own community and societies. Clearly and concisely writtenwith a wide range of international examples, this edited volume is an essential introduction to the sociology of the internet. It will appeal to students and professionals, and to those concerned about the changing relationships between information technology and a society which is fast becoming divided between those on-line and those not. %B Communities in Cyberspace %I Routledge %C London & New York %P 60-75 %G eng %U http://books.google.com/books?id=210IkjyN8gEC&pg=PA10&lpg=PA10&dq=Reading+race+on-line;+discovering+racial+identity+in+usenet+discussions&source=bl&ots=Xv2QeLJjvv&sig=K1teJw4Ir9QY9__-Z6D_XYGqEN4&hl=en&sa=X&ei=C7ffT9qxO4Oa2gXb0KmWCg&ved=0CFUQ6AEwBw#v=onepa %1 M. A. Smith & P. Kollock %0 Book %B Continuum Research Methods Series %D 2003 %T Analyzing Media Texts %A Burns, Andrew %A Parker, David %K data %K media %K multimodality %K Social %K theory %X Andrew Burn and David Parker outline how multi-modality theory can be used to analyze texts which employ multiple semiotic modes and media, in such a way that a balanced consideration is given to the characteristics of each mode, how they integrate, and how they distribute textual functions between them. The methods are rooted in a view of significance as dependent on social context, and fulfilling the social and communicative interests of both producers of textual production and use contingent upon digital formats will also be a determining content of the analytical method. %B Continuum Research Methods Series %I Continuum %C London %G eng %U http://books.google.com/books?id=Oqn8TTphM5IC&pg=PA62&lpg=PA62&dq=Burn,+A.+%26+Parker,+D.+%282003%29.+Analyzing+Media+Texts&source=bl&ots=tEOW5buDSD&sig=WAAVjudlOWBv6nIT89oE3mxCg5U&hl=en#v=onepage&q&f=false %0 Book %D 2012 %T Invisible Users %A Jenna Burrell %K Africa %K digital technologies %K Ghana %K Ghanaian %K internet %K network technologies %K religious practice %K spiritual %K users %K Youth %X An account of how young people in Ghana’s capital city adopt and adapt digital technology in the margins of the global economy. Among other subjects: Religious practice and belief were a frequent point of reference for Ghanaian Internet users when they spoke about their social relationships, aspirations, and their use of technologies including the Internet. The way they talked about this belief was marked by a sense of the presence of spiritual forces (good and evil). %I The MIT Press %G eng %U http://muse.jhu.edu/books/9780262301459 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Communication Inquiry %D 2015 %T Religious Memetics: Institutional Authority in Digital/Lived Religion %A Burroughs, Benjamin %A Feller, Gavin %K Digital Religion %K Lived religion %K meme %K mormonism %K religious memetics %X Recently leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS/Mormon) faith have called upon members to "sweep the earth" with positive religious messages through social media. This digital moment in Mormonism exemplifies the interrelation and concomitant tension between everyday lived religion, technology, and religious institutions. While studies on digital religion have emphasized the push of participatory culture into everyday lived religion, this research on religious memes contributes to an emergent vein of digital religion scholarship focused on institutional authority. In our analysis of the "doubt your doubts" meme and antimemes we theorize religious memetics as a space for the reconnection of the everydayness of religious practice, which boils down meaningful moments of faith into facile, nonthreatening avenues for sharing religion. While this is beneficial for institutions, the reflexive and metonymic function of religious memes ruptures routine, offering participants momentary pauses from the demands of orthodox religious life. %B Journal of Communication Inquiry %V 39 %G eng %U http://jci.sagepub.com/content/39/4/357.abstract %N 4 %R 10.1177/0196859915603096 %0 Journal Article %J New Media and Society %D 2011 %T Come to a Correct Understanding of Buddhism: a case study on spiritualising technology, religious authority, and the boundaries of orthodoxy and identity in a Buddhist Web forum %A Busch, L. %K Authority %K Buddhism %K spiritual %K technology %X This study examines the Buddhist message forum, E-sangha, to analyze how this forum’s founder and moderators ‘spiritualized the Internet’ (Campbell, 2005a, 2005b) using contemporary narratives of the global Buddhist community, and in doing so, provided these actors with the authority to determine the boundaries of Buddhist orthodoxy and identity and validate their control of the medium through social and technical means. Through a structural and textual analysis of E-sangha’s Web space, this study demonstrates how Web producers and forum moderators use religious community narratives to frame Web environments as sacred community spaces (spaces made suitable for religious activities), which inherently allows those in control of the site the authority to set the boundaries of religious orthodoxy and identity and hence, who can take part in the community. %B New Media and Society %V 13 %P 58-74 %G English %U http://nms.sagepub.com/content/13/1/58.abstract %N 1