%0 Journal Article %J Journal of Religion in Europe %D 2017 %T Identity Politics in a Mediatized Religious Environment on Facebook: Yes to Wearing the Cross Whenever and Wherever I Choose %A Abdel-Fadil, M %K Facebook %K mediatized %K Politics %K religious %X The Norwegian Facebook page Yes to Wearing the Cross Whenever and Wherever I Choose was initially created to protest the prohibition of the cross for NRK news anchors. Yet, many of the discussions and audience interactions transpired into heated religio-political debates with strong elements of anti-Muslim, xenophobic, anti-secular, and anti-atheist sentiments. This study aims to contribute to a more nuanced understanding of the interplay between media and religion by providing new insights on the variety of ways in which media audiences may ‘add a series of dynamics to conflicts, namely, amplification, framing and performative agency, and co-structuring’ and ‘perform conflict’, as formulated by Hjarvard et al. It is argued that mediatized conflicts with inherent trigger themes, which tug at core religio-political identity issues, also tend to evoke emotional responses, which, in turn, inspire social media users to perform the conflict in ways that multiply the conflict(s). %B Journal of Religion in Europe %V 10 %P 457 – 486 %G eng %U http://booksandjournals.brillonline.com/content/journals/10.1163/18748929-01004001 %N 4 %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Religion, Media and Digital Culture %D 2019 %T Introduction: Media and Religious Controversy %A Abdel-Fadil, Mona %A Årsheim, Helge %X The phrase “religious controversies” is blunt and evocative, and immediately brings up associations to angry mobs, flag burning and, at times, inexplicable rage at seemingly mundane matters. The capacity of religion, whether in its doctrinal, social or institutional form, to generate, propagate and exacerbate controversy appears endless. While this capacity may not be unique to religion, nor recent in origin, the last couple of decades have seen what would appear to be unprecedented levels of religious controversies around the world. This introduction provides a brief backdrop to the overarching theme of mediatized religious controversies, and identifies some cross-cutting issues that have arisen across the different contributions. We identify some general patterns among the controversies dealt with in this special issue, and ask how these patterns may inspire new research efforts. %B Journal of Religion, Media and Digital Culture %G eng %U https://brill.com/view/journals/rmdc/8/1/article-p1_1.xml?language=en %0 Journal Article %J Contemporary Islam %D 2010 %T Interpreting Islam through the Internet: making sense of hijab %A Akou, Heather Marie %K internet %K Islam %X Hijab, the practice of modesty or "covering," is one of the most visible and controversial aspects of Islam in the twenty-first century, partly because the Qur'an offers so little guidance on proper dress. This forces Muslims to engage in ijtihad (interpretation), which historically has resulted in vast differences in dress around the world. By transcending some of the boundaries of space, time and the body, the Internet has emerged as a place where Muslims from diverse backgrounds can meet to debate ideas and flesh them out through shared experiences. After discussing hijab in the Qur'an and other traditional sources, this article explores the use of cyberspace as a multi-media platform for learning about and debating what constitutes appropriate Islamic dress. The last section focuses on a case study of the multi-user "hijablog" hosted by thecanadianmuslim.ca, which represents one of the largest in-print discussions on hijab ever recorded in the English language. On this blog and other forums like it, ijtihad has become a critical tool for debate on matters such as hijab, which are important but sparsely discussed in the Qur'an. %B Contemporary Islam %G eng %U https://www.researchgate.net/publication/227123676_Interpreting_Islam_through_the_Internet_Making_sense_of_hijab %0 Book Section %B New Media in the Muslim World: The Emerging Public Sphere %D 1999 %T The Internet and Islam’s New Interpreters %A Anderson, Jon %K information and communication technology %K Islam %K Quran %X This second edition of a widely acclaimed collection of essays reports on how new media-fax machines, satellite television, and the Internet-and the new uses of older media-cassettes, pulp fiction, the cinema, the telephone, and the press-shape belief, authority, and community in the Muslim world. The chapters in this work, including new chapters dealing specifically with events after September 11, 2001, concern Indonesia, Bangladesh, Turkey, Iran, Lebanon, the Arabian Peninsula, and Muslim communities in the United States and elsewhere.New Media in the Muslim Worldsuggests new ways of looking at the social organization of communications and the shifting links among media of various kinds in local and transnational contexts. The extent to which today's new media have transcended local and state frontiers and have reshaped understanding of gender, authority, social justice, identities, and politics in Muslim societies emerges from this timely and provocative book. Dale F. Eickelman, Ralph and Richard Lazarus Professor of Anthropology and Human Relations at Dartmouth College, is author ofThe Middle East and Central Asia: An Anthropological ApproachandMuslim Politics(coauthored with James Piscatori). Jon W. Anderson, Professor and chair of Anthropology at The Catholic University of America and co-director of the Arab Information Project at Georgetown University, is author ofArabizing the Internet %B New Media in the Muslim World: The Emerging Public Sphere %I Indiana University Press %C Bloomington %P 41-55 %G English %U http://books.google.com/books?id=Moh2l5d85OYC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false %0 Book %D 2005 %T The Internet and the Madonna %A Paulo Apolito %K celebrities %K internet %K Madonna %K media %I The University of Chicago Press. %C Chicago %G English %U http://books.google.com/books?id=tEuerA4ai0oC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false %0 Journal Article %J Policy & Internet %D 2014 %T Islamophobia and Twitter: A Typology of Online Hate Against Muslims on Social Media %A Awan, I %K Islamophobia %K Muslims %K Online %K social media %K Twitter %X The Woolwich attack in May 2013 has led to a spate of hate crimes committed against Muslim communities in the United Kindom. These incidents include Muslim women being targeted for wearing the headscarf and mosques being vandalized. While street level Islamophobia remains an important area of investigation, an equally disturbing picture is emerging with the rise in online anti‐Muslim abuse. This article argues that online Islamophobia must be given the same level of attention as street level Islamophobia. It examines 500 tweets from 100 different Twitter users to examine how Muslims are being viewed and targeted by perpetrators of online abuse via the Twitter search engine, and offers a typology of offender characteristics. %B Policy & Internet %V 6 %P 133-150 %G eng %U https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/1944-2866.POI364 %N 2 %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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 Book Section %B Encyclopedia of Religion, Communication and Media %D 2006 %T Internet and Cyber Environments %A Heidi Campbell %K cyber %K environment %K internet %X Communication is at the heart of all religions. As an essential aspect of religion, communication occurs between believers, between religious leaders and followers, between proponents of different faiths, and even between practitioners and the deities. The desire to communicate with as well as convert others is also an aspect of some of the world's major religions. The Encyclopedia of Religion, Communication, and Media explores all forms of religious communication worldwide and historically, with a special emphasis on oral and written forms of communication. This A-Z organized reference work analyzes how and why the world's religions have used different means of communications through topics dealing with: * Theory and concepts in religious communication, including rhetoric, persuasion, performance, brainwashing, and more * Forms of verbal communication, such as chanting, speaking in tongues, preaching, or praying * Forms of written communication, such as religious texts,parables, mystical literature, and modern Christian publishing * Other forms of communication, including art, film, and sculpture * Religious communication in public life, from news coverage and political messages to media evangelism and the electronic church * Communication processes and their effects on religious communication, including non-sexist language, communication competence, or interfaith dialogue * Biographies of major religious communicators, including Muhammad, Jesus, Aristotle, Gandhi, and Martin Luther From the presence of religion on the internet to the effects of religious beliefs on popular advertising, communication and media are integral to religion and the expression of religious belief. With its international and multicultural coverage, this Encyclopedia is an essential and unique resource for scholars, students, as well as the general reader interested in religion, media, or communications. « Less Preview this book » What people are saying - Write a review Editorial Review - Library Journal vol. 132 iss. 11 p (c) 06/15/2007 A plethora of existing encyclopedias covers the independent study of religion, communication, and the media. Few, however, manage to bring these disparate fields together. Stout (journalism & media studies, Univ. of Nevada, Las Vegas; coeditor, Journal of Media and Religion ) has carefully chosen respected international scholars with expertise in a wide range of subjects—e.g., communication, religion, theology, and the media—to create this unprecedented interdisciplinary, cross-cultural encyclopedia concentrating on the various forms of written and oral religious methods used to communicate with divinity around the world. The 124 A-to-Z signed entries explore not only traditional media but also new media (e.g., cyber environments, film, and sculpture). The entries appear in a standardized format, each ranging from one to three pages in length. Major schools of thought, ancient and modern traditions, theories, and gurus are described, and each entry highlights the influence of religion on human history and contemporary society. Key ideas are often supported with excerpts, and articles are supplemented with photos and sidebars. BOTTOM LINE The division of entries into well-defined key sections and the extensive index allow efficient access to the information. These features, together with the further reading section, make this an ideal choice for large public or academic libraries serving university students, journalists, and those seeking a more thorough understanding of religion and communication's interconnection.—Hazel Cameron, Western Washington Univ. Libs., Bellingham Editorial Review - Library Journal vol. 132 iss. 11 p (c) 06/15/2007 A plethora of existing encyclopedias covers the independent study of religion, communication, and the media. Few, however, manage to bring these disparate fields together. Stout (journalism & media studies, Univ. of Nevada, Las Vegas; coeditor, Journal of Media and Religion ) has carefully chosen respected international scholars with expertise in a wide range of subjects—e.g., communication, religion, theology, and the media—to create this unprecedented interdisciplinary, cross-cultural encyclopedia concentrating on the various forms of written and oral religious methods used to communicate with divinity around the world. The 124 A-to-Z signed entries explore not only traditional media but also new media (e.g., cyber environments, film, and sculpture). The entries appear in a standardized format, each ranging from one to three pages in length. Major schools of thought, ancient and modern traditions, theories, and gurus are described, and each entry highlights the influence of religion on human history and contemporary society. Key ideas are often supported with excerpts, and articles are supplemented with photos and sidebars. BOTTOM LINE The division of entries into well-defined key sections and the extensive index allow efficient access to the information. These features, together with the further reading section, make this an ideal choice for large public or academic libraries serving university students, journalists, and those seeking a more thorough understanding of religion and communication's interconnection.—Hazel Cameron, Western Washington Univ. Libs., Bellingham Related books ‹ Media and Religion Stout, Daniel A. Stout Routledge Encyclopedia of Religion, Communication, and Media Daniel A. Stout Religion and mass media Daniel A. Stout, Judith Mitchell Buddenbaum Religion and popular culture Daniel A. Stout, Judith Mitchell Buddenbaum › Selected pages Title Page Table of Contents Index Common terms and phrases advertising American Anabaptists audience Baha’i beliefs Bible broadcast Buddenbaum Buddhist Catholic century Christ Christian Church conflict Confucius congregation contemporary contemporary Christian music context create dance Daoist defined definition developed difficult divine early Evangelical example faith field figures film find first five Further Reading gious God’s Greek groups Haredi Hindu Hinduism holy human images individual influence Internet interpretive community Islam Jesus Jewish Jews Judaism leaders ligious literacy mass media means Mennonites ment modern moral mosque movement Muslim Native American official one’s oral organizations Orthodox political popular culture pornography practice prayer priests programs prophets Protestant Protestantism published Qur’an radio reflect reli religion religious communities ritual Roman sacred sacrifice scholars secular sermon sexual shaman significant social society specific spiritual stories symbols televangelism televangelists television temple texts theology tion tradition University Press videos Western word worship York Bibliographic information Title Encyclopedia of religion, communication, and media Volume 8 of Religion and Society Routledge encyclopedias of religion and society Author Daniel A. Stout Editor Daniel A. Stout Edition illustrated Publisher CRC Press, 2006 ISBN 0415969468, 9780415969468 Length 467 pages Subjects Language Arts & Disciplines › Communication Studies Communication Communication - Religious aspects Communication/ Religious aspects Language Arts & Disciplines / Communication Studies Reference / Encyclopedias Religion / General Religion / Religion, Politics & State Export Citation BiBTeX EndNote RefMan About Google Books - Privacy Policy - Terms of Service - Blog - Information for Publishers - Report an issue - Help - Sitemap - Google Home ©2011 Google %B Encyclopedia of Religion, Communication and Media %I Berkshire Publications/Sage Reference %C Great Barrington %P 177-182 %G English %U http://books.google.com/books?id=TN-qpt7kAK4C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false %0 Book Section %B Halos and avatars: Playing (video) games with God %D 2010 %T Islamogaming: Digital Dignity via Alternative Storytelling %A Heidi Campbell %K Christianity %K game studies %K Islam %K public sphere %K video games %K virtual worlds %X Craig Detweiler's collection of up-to-the-minute essays on video games' theological themes (and yes, they do exist!) is an engaging and provocative book for gamers, parents, pastors, media scholars, and theologians--virtually anyone who has dared to consider the ramifications of modern society's obsession with video games and online media. Together, these essays take on an exploding genre in popular culture and interpret it through a refreshing and enlightening philosophical lens. %B Halos and avatars: Playing (video) games with God %I Westminster Press %C Louisville %P 63-74 %G English %U http://books.google.com/books?id=GomyEvcocJsC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false %0 Book Section %B Routledge’s Companion to Religion and Popular Culture %D 2015 %T Internet and social media %A Campbell, H %A Teusner, P. E %K internet %K social media %X Religion and popular culture is a fast-growing field that spans a variety of disciplines. This volume offers the first real survey of the field to date and provides a guide for the work of future scholars. It explores key issues of definition and of methodology, religious encounters with popular culture across media, material culture and space, ranging from videogames and social networks to cooking and kitsch, architecture and national monuments representations of religious traditions in the media and popular culture, including important non-Western spheres such as Bollywood. %B Routledge’s Companion to Religion and Popular Culture %I Routledge %C London %P 154-168 %G eng %1 J. Lyden, E. Mazur %0 Book Section %B Netting citizens: Exploring citizenship in the Internet age %D 2004 %T The Internet as Social-Spiritual Space %A Heidi Campbell %K internet %K Social %K spiritual %B Netting citizens: Exploring citizenship in the Internet age %I St. Andrew’s Press %C Edinburgh %P 208-231 %U http://clydeserver.com/bairdtrust/pdfs/2004/chapter09opt.pdf %0 Journal Article %J Information, Communication & Society %D 2011 %T INTRODUCTION: Rethinking the online–offline connection in the study of religion online %A Campbell, Heidi A. %A Lövheim, Mia %X This article introduces current research on the connection between online and offline religion and map out significant questions and themes concerning how this relationship takes shape among different religious traditions and contexts. By bringing together a collection of studies that explore these issues, we seek to investigate both how the Internet informs religious cultures in everyday life and how the Internet is being shaped by offline religious traditions and communities. In order to contextualize the articles in the special issue, we offer a brief overview of how religion online has been studied over the past two decades with attention given to how the intersection of online–offline religion has been approached. This is followed by a discussion of key questions in the recent study of the relationship between online and offline religion and significant themes that emerge in contemporary research on religious uses of the Internet. These questions and themes help contextualize the unique contributions this special issue offers to the current discourse in this area, as well as how it might inform the wider field of Internet studies. We end by suggesting where future research on religion and the Internet might be headed, especially in relation to how we understand and approach the overlap between online and offline religion as a space of hybridity and social interdependence. %B Information, Communication & Society %G eng %U https://www.researchgate.net/publication/283610732_INTRODUCTION_Rethinking_the_online-offline_connection_in_the_study_of_religion_online %0 Book Section %B Encyclopedia of Religion, Communication and Media %D 2006 %T Internet and Cyber Environments %A Heidi Campbell %X Communication is at the heart of all religions. As an essential aspect of religion, communication occurs between believers, between religious leaders and followers, between proponents of different faiths, and even between practitioners and the deities. The desire to communicate with as well as convert others is also an aspect of some of the world's major religions. The Encyclopedia of Religion, Communication, and Media explores all forms of religious communication worldwide and historically, with a special emphasis on oral and written forms of communication. This A-Z organized reference work analyzes how and why the world's religions have used different means of communications through topics dealing with: * Theory and concepts in religious communication, including rhetoric, persuasion, performance, brainwashing, and more * Forms of verbal communication, such as chanting, speaking in tongues, preaching, or praying * Forms of written communication, such as religious texts,parables, mystical literature, and modern Christian publishing * Other forms of communication, including art, film, and sculpture * Religious communication in public life, from news coverage and political messages to media evangelism and the electronic church * Communication processes and their effects on religious communication, including non-sexist language, communication competence, or interfaith dialogue * Biographies of major religious communicators, including Muhammad, Jesus, Aristotle, Gandhi, and Martin Luther From the presence of religion on the internet to the effects of religious beliefs on popular advertising, communication and media are integral to religion and the expression of religious belief. With its international and multicultural coverage, this Encyclopedia is an essential and unique resource for scholars, students, as well as the general reader interested in religion, media, or communications. %B Encyclopedia of Religion, Communication and Media %I Berkshire Publications/Sage Reference %C Great Barrington %P 177-182 %G English %U http://books.google.com/books?id=TN-qpt7kAK4C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false %0 Book Section %B The Blackwell Handbook of Internet Studies %D 2011 %T Internet and Religion %A Heidi Campbell %B The Blackwell Handbook of Internet Studies %I Blackwell Publishers %C Oxford, UK %G English %U http://books.google.com/books?id=3CakiQW_GVAC&pg=PA247&lpg=PA247&dq=The+Use+of+Internet+Communication+by+Catholic+Congregations:+A+Quantitative+Study&source=bl&ots=7jHuXxT_rI&sig=N_CclUEsihldDHr_L1a9PNoTWbg&hl=en&ei=ZguqTrGuOuOlsQLx9MSXDw&sa=X&oi=book_res %1 Pauline Cheong, Charles Ess %0 Book %D 2001 %T The Internet Galaxy: Reflections on the Internet, Business and Society %A Castells, Manuel %K Business %K Economy %K internet %K society %X Manuel Castells is one of the world's leading thinkers on the new information age, hailed by The Economist as "the first significant philosopher of cyberspace," and by Christian Science Monitor as "a pioneer who has hacked out a logical, well-documented, and coherent picture of early 21st century civilization, even as it rockets forward largely in a blur." Now, in The Internet Galaxy, this brilliantly insightful writer speculates on how the Internet will change our lives. Castells believes that we are "entering, full speed, the Internet Galaxy, in the midst of informed bewilderment." His aim in this exciting and profound work is to help us to understand how the Internet came into being, and how it is affecting every area of human life--from work, politics, planning and development, media, and privacy, to our social interaction and life in the home. We are at ground zero of the new network society. In this book, its major commentator reveals the Internet's huge capacity to liberate, but also its ability to marginalize and exclude those who do not have access to it. Castells provides no glib solutions, but asks us all to take responsibility for the future of this new information age. The Internet is becoming the essential communication and information medium in our society, and stands alongside electricity and the printing press as one of the greatest innovations of all time. The Internet Galaxy offers an illuminating look at how this new technology will influence business, the economy, and our daily lives. %I Oxford University Press %C New York %@ 0199255776 %G eng %U http://www.amazon.com/Internet-Galaxy-Reflections-Business-Clarendon/dp/0199241538/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1347470288&sr=1-1&keywords=0199241538 %0 Report %D 2009 %T “Islamophobia” in the West: A Comparison Between Europe and America %A Jocelyn Cesari %K America %K anti-terrorism %K Europe %K Islam %K Islamophobia %K Muslims %K xenophobia %B Islamophobia and the Challenges of Pluralism in the 21st Century %I Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, Georgetown University %C Washington, DC %G eng %U http://www12.georgetown.edu/sfs/docs/ACMCU_Islamophobia_txt_99.pdf %0 Journal Article %J The Information Society %D 2009 %T The Internet Highway and Religious Communities: Mapping and Contesting Spaces in Religion-Online %A Pauline Hope Cheong %A Huang, Shirlena %A Poon, Jessie %A Casas, Irene %K Authority %K community %K geography %K internet %K theory of religion online %X We examine ‘religion-online’, an underrepresented area of research in new media, communication, and geography, with a multi-level study of the online representation and (re)-presentation of Protestant Christian organizations in Singapore, which has one of the highest Internet penetration rates in the world and also believers affiliated with all the major world religions. We first critically discuss and empirically examine how online technologies are employed for religious community building in novel and diverse ways. Then we investigate the role religious leaders play through their mental representations of the spatial practices and scales through which their religious communities are imagined and practiced online. We show how churches use the multimodality of the Internet to assemble multiple forms of visible data and maps to extend geographic sensibilities of sacred space and create new social practices of communication. %B The Information Society %V 25 %P 291-302 %U http://www.paulinehopecheong.com %N 5 %R 10.1080/01972240903212466 %0 Book %D 2011 %T Introductory remarks: Richard Rouse, Official, Pontifical Council for Culture %A Pontifical Council for Social Communications %I Vatican %C Vatican City %G eng %0 Generic %D 2016 %T Information And Communication Technologies In Religious Tourism And Pilgrimage %A De Ascaniis, Silvia %A Cantoni, Lorenzo %K eReligion %K eTourism %X Special issue of the IJRTP - International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage %G eng %U http://arrow.dit.ie/ijrtp/vol4/iss3/ %0 Book Section %B Communities in Cyberspace %D 1999 %T Identity and deception in the virtual community %A Donath, J. S. %K deception %K identity %K virtual community %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 written with 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 29-59 %G English %U http://harvard.academia.edu/JudithDonath/Papers/554206/Identity_and_deception_in_the_virtual_community %1 M. A. Smith, P. Kollock %0 Book Section %B Dynamics Of Mediatization %D 2017 %T Introduction: Situating Dynamics of Mediatization %A Driessens, O %A Hjarvard, S %K mediatization %X In the introduction to this volume, we set out why it is important to focus on dynamics of mediatization and how this contributes to the study of media-related social change. We stress that to fully understand dynamics of change, mediatization should be studied in interrelation with other meta-processes, such as commercialization or politicization. Furthermore, also the contexts of change need to be taken seriously, in terms of field(s) of analysis, space and geography, as well as in terms of time, thereby avoiding so-called epochalist thinking. %B Dynamics Of Mediatization %I Palgrave Macmillan, Cham %G eng %U https://link.springer.com/chapter/10.1007/978-3-319-62983-4_1#citeas %1 Driessens O., Bolin G., Hepp A., Hjarvard S. %6 1-8 %0 Journal Article %J Online - Heidelberg Journal of Religions on the Internet %D 2010 %T Imaging religious identity: intertextual play among postmodern Christian bloggers %A Emerson Teusner, Paul %K Blogging %K Christian %K identity %K religion %X In the fledgling but rapidly growing academic discipline of religion, media and culture, much attention has been paid to the use of new media to create and develop individual religious identities, build connections and foster group identities. Yet to date most research has focussed on exchanges of literal text between users, and little has considered the importance of visual text (either still images or videos) in the communication of meaning in online environments. In this presentation, I would like to introduce the image as an object of research in the construction of religious identity in online interaction. The presentation will explore the blogs of 35 Australians who are conversant with a religious movement known as “the emerging church”, a global collection of ideas and conversations residing mainly in traditional Protestant churches that seeks new expressions of faithful living in postmodern urban culture, and challenges the consumerism of contemporary evangelicalism seen in “the megachurch”. By the use of captioned images, video capture (including links to YouTube) and web page design, I will show how bloggers endeavour to present themselves as being “on the margins” of conventional Christian life and practice, and employ intertextual play to challenge modern binary oppositions of orthodoxy/heresy, art/dirt, fun/work, and constructions of gender and ethnicity. %B Online - Heidelberg Journal of Religions on the Internet %V 4 %U http://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/volltexte/2010/11300/pdf/06.pdf %N 1 %0 Journal Article %J Studies in World Christianity %D 2011 %T iReligion %A Emerson Teusner, P %A Torma, R %K cell phone %K Christianity %K online religions %X This article aims to present a model for investigating the capacity of mobile devices to frame religious experience by the creation, consumption and distribution of religious media text. Exploring three iPhone religious ‘apps’, this article will consider how the iPhone frames religious information and privileges aesthetic styles, which affects how users of the device connect with religious media text and other users. This exploration offers insights into how the iPhone as an object, together with the metaphors and symbols that are incumbent with it, frame religious experience and participation. %B Studies in World Christianity %V 17 %U http://www.euppublishing.com/doi/abs/10.3366/swc.2011.0017 %N 2 %0 Book Section %B The Handbook of Internet Studies %D 2011 %T Introduction: What is internet studies? %A Ess, C %A Consalvo, M %K communication research %K Internet Histories Methods and Ethics %K Internet Methodologies and the Online/Offline Divide %K Internet Studies %K Media studies %K Online research %B The Handbook of Internet Studies %I Oxford: Blackwell %G eng %U http://www.wiley.com/WileyCDA/WileyTitle/productCd-1405185880.html %& Introduction (p. 1-8) %0 Journal Article %J Information, Communication & Society %D 2019 %T #Islamexit: inter-group antagonism on Twitter %A Evolvi, Giulia %X While analyses of Twitter have shown that it holds democratic potential, it can also provide a venue for hate speech against minorities. The articulation of opinion-based identities, the tendency to homophily, and the use of emotional discourses can indeed help spread verbal violence on Twitter. This paper discusses group polarization on Twitter through Mouffe's distinction of agonistic and antagonistic politics, as elaborated in the 2013 book “Agonistic: Thinking the World Politically”. The theory is supported by a practical example: a qualitative analysis of Islamophobic tweets sent in the aftermath of the 2016 British referendum on European Union membership, which is commonly referred to as ‘Brexit’. Following the UK’s decision to leave the EU, there was a surge of Islamophobic attacks on Twitter. My analysis reveals that anti-Islamic sentiments were articulated in terms of complex identities referring not only to religion but also to ethnicity, politics, and gender. The paper shows that these tweets are antagonistic in character because they prevent the dialogic participation of Muslims and propagate symbolic violence rather than engaging in constructive conflicts. %B Information, Communication & Society %G eng %U https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1369118X.2017.1388427?journalCode=rics20 %0 Book Section %B Practicing Religion in the Age of Media %D 2002 %T Internet Ritual: A Case of the Construction of Computer-Mediated Neopagan Religious Meaning %A Fernback, Jennifer %K internet ritual %K Neopagan %K religion %X Increasingly, the religious practices people engage in and the ways they talk about what is meaningful or sacred take place in the context of media culture -- in the realm of the so-called secular. Focusing on this intersection of the sacred and the secular, this volume gathers together the work of media experts, religious historians, sociologists of religion, and authorities on American studies and art history. Topics range from Islam on the Internet to the quasi-religious practices of Elvis fans, from the uses of popular culture by the Salvation Army in its early years to the uses of interactive media technologies at the Simon Wiesenthal Center's Beit Hashoah Museum of Tolerance. The issues that the essays address include the public/private divide, the distinctions between the sacred and profane, and how to distinguish between the practices that may be termed "religious" and those that may not. %B Practicing Religion in the Age of Media %I Columbia University Publishing %C New York %P 254-275 %G English %U http://books.google.com/books?id=9aDg8Ih78QAC&pg=PA254&lpg=PA254&dq=Internet+Ritual:+A+Case+of+the+Construction+of+Computer-Mediated+Neopagan+Religious+Meaning&source=bl&ots=snoOkFzsiG&sig=UjWRGsmRhiRZvf-Xqs9hBNHbTd4&hl=en&ei=Cx24TvCMEoKpsAK42a3eAw&sa=X&o %1 Stewart Hoover and Lynn S Clark %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication %D 2007 %T Internet use among religious followers: Religious postmodernism in Japanese Buddhism %A Fukamizu, K. %K Buddhism %K internet %K Japanese %K religion %X Strong sect organizations are a feature of traditional Buddhist denominations in Japan. Having long benefited from the protection of Japan's feudal society, these once strong organizations have been buttressed by factors of social change in the modern and post-modern eras, including modernization and the evolution of the media. The Internet is a rich source of information about innovations of religions adapting to social change. To examine these changes, I undertook a survey from 2002 to 2004 of 2,007 followers and religious specialists. The results highlight a critical attitude among followers: Sending and receiving messages in the interaction between a religious group and its followers results in followers expanding the scope of allowable subjects of criticism, and they have begun to entertain doubts regarding their faith systems. We may infer that in postmodern faith, horizontal interaction among religious followers will take on an increasingly important role in comparison with the vertical (top-down) structure of traditional doctrines. %B Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication %V 12 %G English %U http://jcmc.indiana.edu/vol12/issue3/fukamizu.html %N 3 %0 Journal Article %J Chicago Anthropology Exchange %D 1995 %T Imagining a Virtual Religious Community: Neo-pagans on The Internet %A Grieve, Gregory %K community %K internet %K neo-pagan %K religion %K Virtual %B Chicago Anthropology Exchange %7 98-132 %V 7 %0 Journal Article %J Émulations. Revue de sciences sociales %D 2017 %T Interview with Rosalind I. J. Hackett on religion and digital media trends in Africa %A Hackett, Rosalind I. J %A Madore, F %A Millet-Mouity, P %K Africa %K digital media %K religion %X On October 21st, 2017, the editors of this special issue conducted an interview with Rosalind I. J. Hackett, one of the pioneering scholars in the field of media and religion in Africa. The interview took place via Skype and consisted of five questions on the study of religion and digital media in the African context. %B Émulations. Revue de sciences sociales %P 125-133 %G eng %U http://www.revue-emulations.net/archives/24-les-acteurs-religieux-africains-numerique/interview-with-rosalind-i-j-hackett %N 24 %0 Journal Article %J Al-Qanatir: International Journal of Islamic Studies %D 2018 %T IMPACT OF INTERNET OF THINGS ON DEVELOPMENT OF MUSLIMS %A Hassan, A.M %A Ripin, M.N %A Haron, Z %A Mohd Nor, N. H %A Hehsan, A %A Tahir, N %A Dahlan, A. D %K Internet of Things %K Modern Technology %K Muslim World %X The Internet of Things (IoT) is a modern technology that is expected to bring significant impact in the information technology world. IoT generally refers to all electronic devices communicating through the internet. IoT is expected to transform existing modern technology from smartphones to smart environments such as smart watches for health monitoring, smart electricity grid, smart cars and drones for agricultural automation and monitoring of progress at construction sites. IoT technology is expected to mature in 2020 where at that time 33 billion devices will connect and generate 40 Zetabyte data. The development of this IoT promotes active life routines as well as scraping the normal life of the Muslim ummah gradually. In addition to this great technology, it is worrying of the extent to which the preparation and readiness of Muslims to accept the presence of IoT in their daily activities. Hence, this paper will discuss on the preparation and effects of IoT's presence in the development of Islam in all aspects such as social, humanitarian and economics based on scientific materials and reliable source of reference. Methodology used was mixed method; quantitatively and qualitatively. First phase was conducted by collecting data from questionnaire which involved 30 respondents in Faculty of Electrical Engineering UTM. Qualitative data collected in second phase using document analysis, where the data was collected from books and journal articles. The result of this paper is expected to help and provide reference for Muslims to meet this great technology and be prepared with the great impact of this IoT in the daily lives of Muslims. %B Al-Qanatir: International Journal of Islamic Studies %V 8 %P 1-12 %G eng %U http://www.al-qanatir.com/index.php/qanatir/article/view/91 %N 5 %0 Book Section %B Digital religion, social media and culture: Perspectives, Practices and Futures %D 2012 %T The Immanent Internet Redux %A Bernie Hogan %A Barry Wellman %K cyber %K distopia %K fantasy %K internet %K Networked individualism %K transcendence %K utopia %K Virtual %B Digital religion, social media and culture: Perspectives, Practices and Futures %I Peter Lang Publishing %C New York %G eng %U http://www.peterlang.com/index.cfm?event=cmp.ccc.seitenstruktur.detailseiten&seitentyp=produkt&pk=60410&concordeid=311474 %1 Cheong, Pauline Hope; Fischer-Nielsen, Peter; Gelfgren, Stefan; Ess, Charles. %& 3 %0 Book Section %B Religion and Cyberspace %D 2005 %T Introduction: waves of research %A Hojsgaard, Morten %A Warburg, Margit %X In the twenty-first century, religious life is increasingly moving from churches, mosques and temples onto the Internet. Today, anyone can go online and seek a new form of religious expression without ever encountering a physical place of worship, or an ordained teacher or priest. The digital age offers virtual worship, cyber-prayers and talk-boards for all of the major world faiths, as well as for pagan organisations and new religious movements. It also abounds with misinformation, religious bigotry and information terrorism. Scholars of religion need to understand the emerging forum that the web offers to religion, and the kinds of religious and social interaction that it enables. Religion and Cyberspace explores how religious individuals and groups are responding to the opportunities and challenges that cyberspace brings. It asks how religious experience is generated and enacted online, and how faith is shaped by factors such as limitless choice, lack of religious authority, and the conflict between recognised and non-recognised forms of worship. Combining case studies with the latest theory, its twelve chapters examine topics including the history of online worship, virtuality versus reality in cyberspace, religious conflict in digital contexts, and the construction of religious identity online. Focusing on key themes in this groundbreaking area, it is an ideal introduction to the fascinating questions that religion on the Internet presents. %B Religion and Cyberspace %I Routledge %C London %P 1-11 %G English %U http://books.google.com/books?id=KxSmkuySB28C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false %0 Journal Article %J Australian Journal of Communication %D 2012 %T I Am Second: Evangelicals and Digital Storytelling %A Hutchings, T. %K Christianity %K digital storytelling %K evangelism %K social media %X This article explores the use of online video as a medium for spiritual autobiography through a case study of the Christian movement I am Second (IaS). IaS has published 74 short films, focused primarily on evangelical Christian celebrities. In each case, the video subject overcomes struggles or achieves fulfilment only by surrendering their lives to God and becoming ‘Second’. These stories are shared through fan blogs, Facebook, YouTube, and offline study groups. Analysis of the design, circulation, and response to these films indicates that digital media are fostering significant shifts in the production and reception of religious storytelling. %B Australian Journal of Communication %V 39 %P 16 %G eng %N 1 %& 73 %0 Journal Article %J Expository Times %D 2010 %T The Internet and the Church: An Introduction %A Hutchings, T. %X The Internet is connecting people and organisations around the world in important new ways, changing the way we relate to one another, find resources, share information and form communities. These changes have very important implications for Christians and their churches. This article offers an overview of online activity, including websites, blogs, forums, social network sites, virtual worlds and online evangelism, and introduces theoretical work on the importance of online social networking, the role of the user in shaping technology, and the balance between control and participation in online activity. %B Expository Times %I Sage %V 122 %P 11-19 %8 10/2010 %G English %N 1 %& 11 %0 Journal Article %J Politics and Religion %D 2008 %T “In-Line Religion”: Innovative Pastoral Applications of the New Information and Communication Technologies (NICTS) by the Catholic Church in Nigeria %A Walter C. Ihejirka %X This paper joins the growing corpus of literature on the relationship between religion and the new information and communication technologies in Africa. However, the case I will be presenting may not fall neatly into the two afore-mentioned categories. That is why I termed it innovative, and would classify it as an in-line religion, ‘in’ standing for indirect religious application of NICT. This paper thus advances a new perspective in studying the application of new information and communication technologies in religious belief and praxis in Africa. %B Politics and Religion %V 2 %P 79-98 %8 2008 %G eng %U http://www.politicsandreligionjournal.com/images/pdf_files/srpski/godina2_broj2/ihejirika.pdf %0 Journal Article %J Online - Heidelberg Journal of Religions on the Internet %D 2019 %T Internet in the Monastery %A Jonveaux, isabelle %X Monasticism is characterized by community life in a specific place (stabilitas loci), but also by local and translocal networks that correspond to different functions of the monastery (religious, cultural, commercial, etc.). Although Max Weber describes monasteries as out-of-the-world institutions, most monastic communities (at least male ones) have Internet access and an online presence now. The use of digital media in monastic life raises a number of questions: What impact does it have on the community life of monks and nuns? Can it jeopardize the quality of community life? Regarding the external communication of the monastery, does its online presence allow the monks to extend the community beyond the cloister? This paper analyzes the role played by digital media in monastic life on the individual and community levels, and on the monastery’s outside communication with various audiences. %B Online - Heidelberg Journal of Religions on the Internet %G eng %U https://heiup.uni-heidelberg.de/journals/index.php/religions/article/view/23948 %R https://doi.org/10.17885/heiup.rel.2019.0.23948 %0 Book Section %B Handbook of Research on Practices and Outcomes in Virtual Worlds and Environments %D 2012 %T Isn’t it Real? – Experiencing the Virtual Church in Second Life® %A Emil R. Kaburuan %A Chen, C. H. %A Jeng, T. S. %E Harrison Hao Yang %E Steve Chi-Yin Yuen %K religion online %K Second Life %K Users' Experience %K virtual worlds %B Handbook of Research on Practices and Outcomes in Virtual Worlds and Environments %7 1 %I Information Science Reference %C Hershey %V 1 %@ 1609607627 %G eng %U http://www.igi-global.com/chapter/isn-real-experiencing-virtual-church/55906 %M 9781609607630 %6 2 %& 14 %R DOI: 10.4018/978-1-60960-762-3.ch014 %0 Book %D 2010 %T Internet Use in Wired Religious Community: Communication Behavior Among Asia-Pacific Nazarene Theological Seminary (APNTS) Residential Students %A Emil R. Kaburuan %K Communication Behavior %K internet %K Wired Religious Community %I VDM Verlag Publishing %C Saarbrücken-Germany %G eng %U http://www.amazon.com/Internet-Wired-Religious-Community-Communication/dp/3639240065/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1340205723&sr=1-4&keywords=Religious+communities %0 Thesis %D 2008 %T “I Type the Amens and Think the Rest”: An Ethnographic Look at Religion in Virtual Reality %A Madeline LeNore Klink %X In 2003, a company called Linden Labs launched the first widely-accessible virtual reality: Second Life. Religious groups have been among the first to take advantage of this new frontier, but they have thus far garnered no attention from the academy. This thesis explores the new phenomenon of religious activity in virtual reality through a three-month ethnographic study of a Bible study at the Campivallensis Catholic Meditation,Center in Second Life. I supplement the study with six interviews with Bible study attendees. I also review scholarly research and Catholic theology that relates to religious activity in virtual reality. My thesis concludes that Campivallensians value individualism and theological diversity { values which are supported and reinforced by the medium of Second Life. I speculate that these values will cause friction between virtual reality participants and religious authorities in years to come. %I Reed College %C Portland, Oregan %8 May 2008 %G eng %U http://www.blotts.org/thesis.pdf %0 Report %D 2005 %T The Internet and Religion in Singapore: A National Survey %A Kluver, Randolph %A Detenber, Benjamin H. %A Shahiraa Sahul Hameed %A Pauline Hope Cheong %A Lee Wainpeng %X Singapore has one of the highest Internet penetration rates in the world (60.2%) and 85% of Singaporeans claim to have a religious affiliation to one of the main religious traditions within the country, including Buddhism, Taoism, Christianity, Islam, Hinduism, or traditional Chinese religions. International surveys have shown the use of the Internet for religious purposes is growing significantly, and that in the future, the Internet could be a primary source for religious information for users around the world. The main aim of this project was to investigate and better understand how Singaporeans used the Internet for religious purposes. A national survey with 711 respondents was conducted from 21st to 26th of November 2004 to measure the extent to which Singaporeans used the Internet in a religious context, their perceptions of the religious impact of the Internet and the most common online religiously oriented online activities among Singaporeans. %I Singapore Internet Research Centre %C Singapore %G eng %U http://unpan1.un.org/intradoc/groups/public/documents/APCITY/UNPAN026246.pdf %0 Journal Article %J Asian Journal of Social Sciences %D 2004 %T The Internet as a Mirror and Distributor of Religious and Ritual Knowledge %A Krueger, Oliver %X Since the early 1990s, religious movements appeared on the Internet and introduced new forms of communication in ritual and dogma. Their Internet sites present different dogmatic, institutional, and other aspects of their religion; provide interactive communications and religious services; or simply sell religious items. This paper puts forth the argument that the gaining of ritual and dogmatic knowledge is losing its dependence on direct social interaction in a spatial community, and increasingly relies on Internet-based discourse in religious newsgroups and other discussion forums. Nevertheless, for migrant communities in the diaspora (Zoroastrians, Hindus, and adherents of Afro-American religions), the Internet appears to be offering a new opportunity for re-establishing the spatial bonds of the lost religious community. In other cases such as that of the Wicca religion, this greater independence of traditional religious and social hierarchies encourages the development of fragmentary and syncretic forms of religion. %B Asian Journal of Social Sciences %V 32 %P 183-197 %G English %U http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/brill/saj/2004/00000032/00000002/art00003 %N 2 %0 Book Section %B Mediating Religion: Conversations in Media, Culture and Religion %D 2003 %T Internet and Religion. The Making of Meaning, Identity And Community Through Computer Mediated Communication %A Linderman, Alf %A Lövheim, Mia %X This is the first book to bring together many aspects of the interplay between religion, media and culture from around the world in a single comprehensive study. Leading international scholars provide the most up-to-date findings in their fields, and in a readable and accessible way. 37 essays cover topics including religion in the media age, popular broadcasting, communication theology, popular piety, film and religion, myth and ritual in cyberspace, music and religion, communication ethics, and the nature of truth in media saturated cultures. %B Mediating Religion: Conversations in Media, Culture and Religion %I T & T Clark/Continuum. %C Edinburgh %P 229-240 %G English %1 Sophia Marriage and Jolyon Mitchell %0 Thesis %D 2004 %T Intersecting Identities: Young People, Religion and Interaction on the Internet %A Lövheim, Mia %X The growth of the Internet gave rise to many anticipations and apprehensions of how the new medium would affect the construction of meaning, individual identities, and social interaction. As humanity’s oldest expression of existential meaning, religion provides a challenging case for such studies. This study approaches these issues through an analysis of how 15 young Swedish men and women experience and use a particular web community, the Site, in constructing religious identities. The study took place during the year 2000, through a combination of online observations, offline interviews and text analysis. Starting from Ammerman’s concept of religious “autobiographies” - the individual self as constructed in interactions with religious discourses throughout life - the study argues that the Internet can become a significant resource in this process, but that this possibility is structured by certain conditions. An analysis of the ”repertoire of possibilities” of the Site – formed by the range of discourses, social relations, rules of interaction, and mode of communication – shows that these conditions contribute to polarized interactions and stereotyped identities, which restrict possibilities to further explore, question or reassess convictions and boundaries. The analysis of individual strategies for negotiating these conditions shows that intentions, dilemmas and competences in the individual’s repertoire of experiences affect when, how and for whom the Internet can become this resource. Finally, the study points to some significant conditions in the offline context which affect the process. The study outlines a framework, based on Linderman’s model of social semeiology, Slevin’s theory of the Internet and cultural transmission, and Fairclough’s discourse analysis, for the analysis of particular cases of meaning construction on the Internet. Furthermore, this framework suggests ways in which a case of religious identity construction on the Internet can be related to theories about transformation of religion and identities in late modern society. %I Uppsala University %C Uppsala %0 Book Section %B Digital Religion: Understanding Religious Practice in New Media Worlds %D 2012 %T Identity %A Lövheim, M. %E Campbell, H. %K Digital %K identity %K religion %X Digital Religion offers a critical and systematic survey of the study of religion and new media. It covers religious engagement with a wide range of new media forms and highlights examples of new media engagement in all five of the major world religions. From cell phones and video games to blogs and Second Life, the book: provides a detailed review of major topics includes a series of case studies to illustrate and elucidate the thematic explorations considers the theoretical, ethical and theological issues raised. Drawing together the work of experts from key disciplinary perspectives, Digital Religion is invaluable for students wanting to develop a deeper understanding of the field. %B Digital Religion: Understanding Religious Practice in New Media Worlds %I Routledge %C London %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Religion %D 2002 %T Introduction to the Symposium %A MacWilliams, Mark %B Religion %V 32 %P 277-278 %G English %0 Journal Article %J New Hibernia Review %D 2017 %T The Irish Catholic Church and the Internet %A Catherine Maignant %K Catholic Church %K internet %X Nevertheless, in spite of resistances and initial smiles, the internet has become more than a key communication channel for the Catholic church; it has, in the minds of many, become a potential transformational force. Numerous commentators have suggested that the impact of the digital age on religion is likely to be as revolutionary as the invention of the printing press.6 The medium is in a position to influence the language of the church, the nature of its interactions with the faithful, and its very understanding of time and space. The official discourse remains that regardless of the medium in which the church delivers its message, the fundamental message does not change. But this question, too, is up for discussion, especially as the church is unable to control the matrix of online culture. For now, it appears that the Catholic church is merely seeking to seize the opportunities provided by the new digital age and respond to its challenges, while continuing to carry out out its traditional mission and trying to restore confidence in itself as an institition. %B New Hibernia Review %V 21 %P 20-38 %G eng %U https://muse.jhu.edu/article/689122/summary %N 4 %9 academic %R 10.1353/nhr.2017.0047 %0 Journal Article %J New Hibernia Review %D 2017 %T The Irish Catholic Church and the Internet %A Maignant, C %K Catholic Church %K internet %K Irish %X In an article about the current state of the Catholic church in Ireland published in an Italian Jesuit magazine in 2017, the former Irish provincial Gerry O'Hanlon wrote that the challenge for the Irish church today was "to re-awaken the need for salvation and the Good News of the Gospels within a culture which experiences no such need."1 Back in 2004, another Jesuit, writing in the Review of Ignatian Spirituality, had already warned that "effective advertising and marketing" were crucial" to "develop a fresh image" of the Catholic church, one that would be more likely to "capture the imagination of [its] customers."2 The emergence and growth of the church's digital strategy in Ireland must be understood against this background, as one of many attempts to avoid becoming what Archbishop Diarmuid Martin once called "an irrelevant minority culture. %B New Hibernia Review %V 21 %P 20-38 %G eng %U https://muse.jhu.edu/article/689122/summary %N 4 %0 Book %D 2000 %T Internet Communication and Qualitative Research %A Chris Mann %A Fiona Stewart %X Communication and Qualitative Research is the first textbook to examine the impact of Internet technology on qualitative research methods. Drawing on many pioneering studies using computer-mediated communication (CMC), the authors show how online researchers can employ Internet-based qualitative methods to collect rich, descriptive, contextually-situated data. They discuss the methodological, practical and theoretical considerations associated with such methods as in-depth online interviewing, virtual focus groups, and participant observation in virtual communities. %I Sage Publishing %C London %G English %U http://books.google.com/books?id=fhtAVok8Z5AC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false %0 Book %D 2000 %T The Internet: An Ethnographic Approach %A Miller, D. %A Slater, D. %X An examination of Internet culture and consumption. The Internet is increasingly shaping, and being shaped by, users' lives. From cybercafes to businesses, from middle class houses to squatters settlements, the authors have gathered material on subjects as varied as personal relations, commerce, sex and religion. Websites are also analyzed as new cultural formations acting as aesthetic traps. At every point, email chat and surfing are found to be exploited in ways that bring out both unforeseen attributes of the Internet and the contradictions of modern life. The material, taken from ethnographic work in Trinidad, adds depth to earlier discussions about the Internet as an expansion of space, the changes it effects to time and personhood, and the new political economy of the information age. A tie-in with the book's own website provides further illustrations. %I Berg %C Oxford %G English %U http://books.google.com/books/about/The_Internet.html?id=g8HYAAAAIAAJ %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Religion, Media and Digital Culture %D 2020 %T Introduction Essay: Special Issue of RMDC on Public Scholarship, Media and Religion %A Peterson, Kristin M. %A Campbell, Heidi A. %K Digital media; religion; public scholarship %B Journal of Religion, Media and Digital Culture %G eng %U https://brill.com/view/journals/rmdc/9/2/article-p141_141.xml?language=en %0 Journal Article %J Technology and Culture %D 2010 %T The Invisible technologies of Goffman's sociology from the merry-go-round to the Internet %A Pinch, T. %X Erving Goffman is not usually thought of as sociologist of technology. In this paper I argue that Goffman's early studies are replete with materiality and technologies. By paying more attention to mundane and invisible technologies, such as merry-go-rounds, surgical instruments, and doors, I argue that Goffman's interaction order can be shown to be materially and technologically framed, staged, and mediated. Important notions such as "role distance," "front stage," and "backstage" turn out to depend crucially upon materiality and technologies. When it comes to studying the internet there is thus, in principle, no fundamental distinction to be drawn between online and off-line interaction; both are forms of performed, staged, and mediated interaction. I show how Goffman's notion of copresence can be extended to the study of the internet and speculate as to what a sociology of material performativity, which combines interactional sociology with the insights of Social Construction of Technology, might look like. %B Technology and Culture %G eng %U https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236782859_The_Invisible_Technologies_of_Goffman%27s_Sociology_From_the_Merry-Go-Round_to_the_Internet %0 Book %D 2001 %T Information Technology and Cyberspace: Extra-connected Living %A Pullinger, D. %I Longman and Todd %C London %G English %U http://books.google.com/books/about/Information_technology_and_cyberspace.html?id=SLkUAQAACAAJ %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Religion, Media and Digital Culture %D 2018 %T Introduction: Religious Authority: Ascribing Meaning to a Theoretical Term %A Radde-Antweiler, Kerstin %A Grünenthal, Hannah %X Critical voices in the press argue that with digital media religious authority is weakened or endangered. Moreover, not only the press, but also academic researchers are convinced that the way the construction of religious authority is changing is crucial because it is the base and the backbone of religious organizations and their structures and function. However, there is by no means consensus on the definition of the term authority. Not only religious actors, but researchers as well ascribe different meanings to academic terms such as authority. Therefore, we have to ask critically what actually authority is. In other words, what meaning is ascribed to the concept or term author by the different researchers in their respective disciplines? Based on these reflections, the aim of this report is to analyze how the term authority is 'filled' with meaning in the academic discourse. %B Journal of Religion, Media and Digital Culture %G eng %U https://brill.com/view/journals/rmdc/7/3/article-p368_368.xml?language=en %0 Journal Article %J Asian Journal of Social Science %D 2009 %T Internet Threats to Hindu Authority: Puja Ordering Websites and the Kalighat Temple %A Heinz Scheifinger %K Authority %K Hinduism %K internet %K Kalighat Temple %K Puja ordering websites %K Pujas %X This article investigates threats to authority within Hinduism as a result of the Internet. It focuses upon websites which allow for pujas (devotional rituals) to be ordered to be carried out at the important Kalighat Temple in Kolkata. The two groups which currently exercise authority at the temple are identified, along with the specific forms of authority which they exercise. The processes which are occurring as a result of the puja ordering websites and the activities of those responsible for them are then demonstrated. The argument put forward is that, in addition to the puja ordering services being a threat to both the authority of the temple administration and the priests working there, they also have the potential to affect the relationship between these two groups. Findings from the Kalighat Temple case study further suggest that the effects at temples of online puja ordering services are dependent upon the current situation at respective temples. %B Asian Journal of Social Science %G eng %U http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/brill/saj/2010/00000038/00000004/art00007 %0 Book Section %B Perpetual Contact. Mobile Communication Private Talk, Public Performance %D 2002 %T Israel: Chutzpah and Chatter in the Holy Land %A Schejter, Amit %A Cohen, Akiba %B Perpetual Contact. Mobile Communication Private Talk, Public Performance %I Cambridge University Press %C Cambridge, UK %P 30-41 %G English %U http://pennstate.academia.edu/AmitSchejter/Papers/959184/Israel_chutzpah_and_chatter_in_the_Holy_Land %0 Book Section %B Consuming technologies: Media and information %D 1992 %T Information and communication technologies and the moral economy of the household %A Silverstone, R. %A Hirsch, E. %A Morley, D. %X This paper, which draws on ongoing empirical work in the UK, considers the particular dynamics of time within domestic settings. It situates those dynamics within arguments that have drawn attention to the power of the new information and communication technologies to transform our perceptions of, and relations to, time (and space). It suggests that an understanding of the patterns of everyday life, both inside and outside the home, provides a basis for a more sensitive awareness of the complex patterns of temporality which emerge around the consumption of new media technologies. %B Consuming technologies: Media and information %G eng %U https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0961463X93002003001 %0 Thesis %B xxxx %D 2006 %T Identity and Community in the Weblogs of Muslim Women of Middle Easter n and North African Descent Living in the United States %A Ashley Dyess Sink %X In recent years, media attention in the United States increasingly has turned to Arabs and Muslims. But few of the voices speaking are those of the people in question. Muslim women, especially, are seldom heard in the mainstream. However, many of them are speaking, telling their stories to audiences large and small through new technology on the Internet. Weblogs, online personal journals, allow anyone with access to the Internet to become a published author. These sites of dialogue and intimate revelation offer unique insights into their authors’ lives. In this thesis, in-depth qualitative textual analysis was used to examine the weblogs of six Muslim women of Middle Eastern or North African descent (MMENA) living in the United States and writing in English to understand how they use their blogs to negotiate identity and create community. Intercultural communication theories (specifically Ting-Toomey’s identity negotiation theory, Hofstede’s cultural dimensions, and Tajfel’s social identity theory), computer-mediated communication theories, and existing literature on Muslim women were all incorporated. The women addressed identity within several different areas, in each one displaying a “paradox of identity”: what Edward Said also called “plurality of vision” or “a constant contest between cultures.” They were aware of more than one culture (that of mainstream United States and the culture of their heritage), were fully part of neither of them, and fully felt the dissonances between them. This conflict was strengthened by their membership in a culture currently faced with prejudice from United States culture as a whole. Their blogs seemed to be a kind of identity workshop, a fluid space between the different aspects of who they are. Within them, they negotiated personal identity, gender identity, and cultural/ethnic identity. They built two kinds of community through their blogs: that which was based on face-to-face relationships and was an extension of everyday interactions, and that which was based primarily on computer-mediated interactions. The blogs all displayed, to some extent, a "sense of community" involving feelings of membership, the fulfillment of needs, and a shared emotional connection. This is the first study to address MMENA women in relation to their use of blogs. The paradox of identity the women experienced is important to understand in the context of today’s society in the US. It appears that outsiders’ perceptions of MMENA Americans have a great impact on these women, perhaps greater than they would have on women of different backgrounds, because of their high level of communalism and their status as female members of a non-dominant group within the US. %B xxxx %I University of Florida %C Gainesville, Florida %V xxxx %P xxxx %8 2006 %G eng %U http://etd.fcla.edu/UF/UFE0014380/sink_a.pdf %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Religion in Europe %D 2013 %T The Internet Movie Database and Online Discussions of Religion %A Sjö, Sofia %X Religion and film scholars have long used the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) as a source for material on audience responses, but not much thought has been given to what the material found on the site constitutes. This article highlights possibilities and problems with researching sites such as the IMDb, discussing how studies of Internet communication, community, and fan culture can help contextualize the material and provide a better comprehension of the discussions of religion on the site. The potential of the IMDb to offer noteworthy voices on religion is exemplified with an analysis of reviews of three religiously themed Nordic films. The views on religion expressed are theorized as a form of ‘playable religion’ reflecting contemporary attitudes to religion. %B Journal of Religion in Europe %G eng %U https://brill.com/view/journals/jre/6/3/article-p358_5.xml %0 Book %D 2000 %T The Internet and Society %A Slevin, J. %X The Internet and Society explores the impact of the internet on modern culture beyond the fashionable celebration of 'anything goes' online culture or the overly pessimistic conceptions tainted by the logic of domination. %I Polity Press %C Cambridge, UK %G English %U http://books.google.com/books?id=RFhlV8DcksgC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false %0 Book Section %B Religions in Play. Games, Rituals, and Virtual Worlds %D 2012 %T Introduction: Approaches to Digital Games in the Study of Religions %A Steffen, Oliver %E Bornet, Philippe %E Burger, Maya %K Computer games %K digital games %K religion %X The content and structure of entertaining digital games often refer to the imaginary worlds of historical religion. However, the religious dimensions of this new medium have hardly been addressed by scholars of both, game studies and religious studies. In this introductory article, initial thoughts on areas of study and approaches are given to scholars of religion who investigate computer games. %B Religions in Play. Games, Rituals, and Virtual Worlds %S CULTuREL %I Pano %C Zurich %P 249-259 %G eng %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Religion in Europe %D 2017 %T Introduction: Mediatization in Post-Secular Society—New Perspectives in the Study of Media, Religion and Politics %A Sumiala, Johanna %X The way the media handle religion is deeply embedded in a set of historical, cultural, and political perceptions about religion’s natural, proper, or desirable place in democratic public life. %B Journal of Religion in Europe %G eng %U https://brill.com/view/journals/jre/10/4/article-p361_361.xml?language=en&body=previewPdf-39133 %0 Book %D 2006 %T Implications of the Sacred in (Post)Modern Media %A Sumiala-Seppänen, Johanna %A Lundby, Knut %A Salokangas, R. %K Modern %K Sacred %I Nordicom %C Gothenburgh %G eng %U http://books.google.com/books/about/Implications_of_the_sacred_in_post_moder.html?id=wzccAQAAIAAJ %0 Journal Article %J Journal of Islamic Marketing %D 2012 %T The influence of religion on Islamic mobile phone banking services adoption %A Susan Sun %A Tiong Goh %A Kim-Shyan Fam %A Yang Xue %K banks %K Islam %K Mobile phone %X The purpose of this paper is to explore the effects religious affiliation and commitment have on Southeast Asian young adults' intention to adopt Islamic mobile phone banking. An online self-administered survey was distributed to Southeast Asian young adults through convenience and snowball sampling and a total of 135 responses obtained. The study found Islamic mobile phone banking to be a novelty service, with little consumer awareness and experience, especially among non-Muslims. Religious affiliation and commitment were both effective segmentation strategies, as differences in adoption intention were found between Muslims and non-Muslims, as well as devout and casually religious Muslims. Overall, devout Muslims were socially-oriented with their adoption criteria whereas casually religious and non-Muslims relied upon the utilitarian attributes. The paper contributes to the existing mobile banking adoption literature by providing evidence of consumers' adoption intentions toward Islamic mobile phone banking. It also uses religious commitment in addition to affiliation as segmentation tools, an approach which has not been used in previous Islamic mobile banking research. %B Journal of Islamic Marketing %V 3 %P 81 – 98 %G English %U http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?articleid=17017285&show=abstract %N 1 %0 Journal Article %J Special Issue on Aesthetics and the Dimensions of the Senses %D 2010 %T 'Imaging Religious Identity: Intertextual Play among Postmodern Christian Bloggers' %A Teusner, P.E. %X Recent years have seen a growing interest in the research of religious content in online social media, including web logs, file sharing networks such as YouTube, and social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace. While much attention has been paid to the creation of media texts for the Web, their audiences and usage, little has been given to the aesthetic dimension. For the Internet is a medium for the communication of not just literal text, but also aural and visual text. All information found on computer screens is framed by visual design, according to the affordances give to users by the technology. Drawing from my PhD study of Australian bloggers involved in the ‘emerging church’ movement,1 I intend to show how the blogosphere has become more than an alternative space for religious discourse. In the design of personal web pages, use of colour schemes, templates and captioned images, these bloggers find a vehicle for the ongoing construction of religious identity in the formation of an aesthetic style. %B Special Issue on Aesthetics and the Dimensions of the Senses %P 111-130 %G English %U http://archiv.ub.uni-heidelberg.de/volltextserver/volltexte/2010/11300/pdf/06.pdf %1 S. Heidbrink, N. Miczek %0 Book Section %B Online around the World: A Geographic Encyclopedia of the Internet, Social Media, and Mobile Apps %D 2017 %T Israel %A Tsuria, R %A Yadlin-Segal, A %K internet %K Israel %K mobile apps %K social media %B Online around the World: A Geographic Encyclopedia of the Internet, Social Media, and Mobile Apps %I ABC-CLIO %C Santa Barbara, CA %P 144-148 %G eng %U https://books.google.com/books/about/Online_Around_the_World.html?id=sof6MAAACAAJ %1 L. M. Steckman, M. J. Andrews %0 Journal Article %J Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology %D 2013 %T Investigating religious information searching through analysis of a search engine log %A Rita Wan-Chik %A Paul Clough %A Mark Sanderson %K Buddhism %K Christianity %K Digital %K Hinduism %K information %K Islam %K Judaism %K queries %K religion %K search behavior %K search engine %X In this paper we present results from an investigation of religious information searching based on analyzing log files from a large general-purpose search engine. From approximately 15 million queries, we identified 124,422 that were part of 60,759 user sessions. We present a method for categorizing queries based on related terms and show differences in search patterns between religious searches and web searching more generally. We also investigate the search patterns found in queries related to 5 religions: Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, and Judaism. Different search patterns are found to emerge. Results from this study complement existing studies of religious information searching and provide a level of detailed analysis not reported to date. We show, for example, that sessions involving religion-related queries tend to last longer, that the lengths of religion-related queries are greater, and that the number of unique URLs clicked is higher when compared to all queries. The results of the study can serve to provide information on what this large population of users is actually searching for. %B Journal of the American Society for Information Science and Technology %G eng %U http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/asi.22945/abstract?deniedAccessCustomisedMessage=&userIsAuthenticated=false %0 Book %B Information Age Series %D 0 %T The Internet in Everyday Life %A Barry Wellman %A Caroline Haythornthwaite %K internet %K Internet Studies %K methodologies %K social effects %X The Internet in Everyday Life is the first book to systematically investigate how being online fits into people's everyday lives. Opens up a new line of inquiry into the social effects of the Internet. Focuses on how the Internet fits into everyday lives, rather than considering it as an alternate world. Chapters are contributed by leading researchers in the area. Studies are based on empirical data. Talks about the reality of being online now, not hopes or fears about the future effects of the Internet. %B Information Age Series %I Wiley-Blackwell %G eng %U http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/book/10.1002/9780470774298 %0 Journal Article %D 2002 %T Islam, Community and the Internet: New possibilities in the digital age %A Wheeler, Deborah %X This essay uses three examples of Muslim cyberpractices as a means for understanding how the Internet enables the formation, maintenance, and management of certain kinds of Islamic communities. First is the case of the al-Qaeda movement and its critics. Case two is an Ask the Imam web site, where postings on cyberdating are analyzed as a means to define proper Muslim behavior in cyberspace. The third case is the gayegypt.com web site and the controversies surrounding it. It has been said that the Internet is producing a kind of Muslim Renaissance similar in scope and effect to the flowering of Islamic science, learning, and community values during the Abbassid period many centuries earlier. As this analysis illustrates, the kinds of changes in Muslim community enabled by the Internet are fundamentally altering the values and practices defined by Muslims in the Medieval period, especially in terms of the construction of authority. %G English %U http://bcis.pacificu.edu/journal/2002/02/islam.php %0 Book %B Indiana Series in Middle East Studies %D 0 %T Islamic Activism: A Social Movement Theory Approach %A Quintan Wiktorowicz %K activism %K Egypt %K Iran %K Islam %K Islamic %K Muslims %K Shi‘a %K social movement %K Sunni %K Yeman %X This volume represents the first comprehensive attempt to incorporate the study of Islamic activism into social movement theory. It argues that the dynamics, processes, and organization of Islamic activism can be understood as important elements of contention that transcend the specificity of "Islam" as a system of meaning and identity and a basis for collective action. Drawing on extensive fieldwork, the contributors show how social movement theory can be utilized to address a wide range of questions about the mobilization of contention in support of Muslim causes. The book covers myriad examples of Islamic activism (Sunni and Shi‘a) in eight countries (Arab and non-Arab), including case studies of violence and contention, networks and alliances, and culture and framing. %B Indiana Series in Middle East Studies %I Indiana University Press %G eng %U http://books.google.com/books/about/Islamic_Activism.html?id=UoONJqsjYjcC %0 Book %D 2000 %T The Internet Church %A Wilson, Walter %X With rapid technological advances and the increasing impact of the internet, the world is literally at our fingertips. Yet many churches have yet to discover how to tap into this powerful resource. The Internet Church shows church leaders how to start from square one in creating an interactive website that can greatly expand the ministry potential of a church. Walter Wilson, an internet expert and committed Christian, describes how technology can enhance evangelism outreach, and challenges leaders to take advantage of unprecedented opportunities in the new digital age. %I Word Publishing %C Nashville %G English %0 Journal Article %J Sociological Focus %D 2013 %T Internet Accessibility of the Mizuko Kuyo (Water-Child Ritual) in Modern Japan: A Case Study in Weberian Rationality %A Mieko Yamadaa %A Anson Shupea %K Buddhist %K children %K infants %K Japan %K memorial service %K mizuko kuyo %K New Religious %K religion %K Ritual %K Shinto %K Spirituality %K websites %X The mizuko kuyo is a Japanese (Buddhist, Shinto, New Religious, other) memorial service for infants or young children who have died through some misfortune, including disease, miscarriage, and, increasingly, elective abortion. Indeed, abortion is the predominant form of contraception for many Japanese families. Here we consider, in Weberian terms of the rationalization of institutions, how Internet accessibility and its created virtual reality of the mizuko kuyo has driven its popularity along the dimensions of privatization, bureaucratization, and commodification in decisions to perform the ritual by Internet. We utilize a sample of Tokyo mizuko kuyo Web sites and the contexts of their advertisements and available services for mizuko kuyo, including fee structures and other advertising “lures,” to analyze this merging of traditional and modern technological paths of spirituality along Weberian theoretical lines. %B Sociological Focus %V 46 %G eng %U http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00380237.2013.796833#.Ul1LyVCsim5 %N 3 %& 229