%0 Journal Article %J new media & society %D 2012 %T Religion and the Internet: A microcosm for studying Internet trends and implications %A Heidi A Campbell %K Authority %K community %K Computer %K Contemporary Religious Community %K cyberspace %K identity %K internet %K Mass media %K network %K New Media and Society %K new media engagement %K New Technology and Society %K offline %K Online %K online communication %K Online community %K religion %K religion and internet %K Religion and the Internet %K religiosity %K religious engagement %K religious identity %K Religious Internet Communication %K Religious Internet Communities %K Ritual %K sociability unbound %K Sociology of religion %K users’ participation %K virtual community %K virtual public sphere %K “digital religion” %K “Internet Studies” %K “media and religion” %K “media research” %K “networked society” %K “online identity” %K “religion online” %K “religious congregations” %K “religious media research” %K “religious practice online” %X This article argues that paying close attention to key findings within the study of religion and the Internet, a subfield of Internet Studies, can enhance our understanding and discussion of the larger social and cultural shifts at work within networked society. Through a critical overview of research on religion online, five central research areas emerge related to social practices, online–offline connections, community, identity, and authority online. It is also argued that observations about these themes not only point to specific trends within religious practice online, but also mirror concerns and findings within other areas of Internet Studies. Thus, studying religion on the Internet provides an important microcosm for investigating Internet Studies’ contribution in a wide range of contexts in our contemporary social world. %B new media & society %V 15 %G eng %U http://nms.sagepub.com/content/15/5/680.abstract %N 5 %& 680 %0 Journal Article %J Environment and Planning %D 2012 %T Media, religion and the marketplace in the information economy: evidence from Singapore %A Jessie Poon %A Shirlena Huang %A Pauline Hope Cheong %K Buddhism %K Computer %K Contemporary Religious Community %K cyberspace %K digital media %K hybridization %K information economy %K internet %K Mass media %K network %K New Media and Society %K new media engagement %K New Technology and Society %K online communication %K Online community %K Protestantism %K religion %K religion and internet %K Religion and the Internet %K religiosity %K religious engagement %K religious identity %K Religious Internet Communication %K Religious Internet Communities %K Singapore %K sociability unbound %K Sociology of religion %K users’ participation %K virtual community %K virtual public sphere %K “digital religion” %K “Internet Studies” %K “media and religion” %K “media research” %K “networked society” %K “online identity” %K “religion online” %K “religious congregations” %K “religious media research” %K “religious practice online” %X In this paper we suggest that the exchange of communication in a mediatized environment is transforming the nature of transactions in the religious marketplace. In this economy of religious informational exchanges, digitalization facilitates a process of mediatization that converts religious performance into forms suitable for commodifi cation and commoditization. The intersection of digital media, religion, and the marketplace is demonstrated in the context of mega Protestant and Buddhist organizations in Singapore. We show how these large organizations embed media relations in their sacred spaces through a process of hybridization. In turn, hybrid spaces are converted into material outputs that may be readily transacted in real and virtual spaces. Hybridization attends to a postmodern audience and consumers who value experience and sensorial stimulations. It integrates retail, entertainment, and the aesthetics into a space of ascetic performance that is digitally transportable. Digital transactional spaces thrive on the abundance of information, and information multiplies when communication is unfettered by the absence of proprietary safeguards. The religious marketplace may therefore be understood as a medially driven performance space where points of interaction are digitally %B Environment and Planning %V 44 %G eng %U http://paulinehopecheong.com/media/8eb82a57db78bb75ffff839dffffe41e.pdf %& 1969 %R 10.1068/a44272