Where Religion meets New Media: Evolve or Wither

The internet, as new media, is a hybrid of collection, collation, connection and creation of visual and written information. It offers  a new forum for the sharing and reproduction of meaning.  Institutional religion must move with the development of this media to stay relevant in the meaning-making processes of contemporary society. This had led to the rise of ‘religion online.’

Religion broadly debuted online in the form of online chat rooms and bulletin boards, which provided a new means of communication for people to express their religious interests and ethical concerns. The growth of this as a medium of communication has instigated a reassessment of how religious groups frame the idea of community, authority, written media and texts. Increasingly, now, religious groups can collaborate online, conducting spiritual rituals online and expressing their religious interests. Far from blurring the boundaries of religious communities, my belief is that this phenomenon has helped to solidify the borders of religious identity under institutional religion and ‘new religion’.

Usenet, an online chat forum and bulletin board, which frequently features religious debate. 

Source: Benjamin D. Esham. 25 May 2010.  "Usenet traffic per day". WikiCommons.

The nature of the online community gives unprecedented instantaneity to our lives. Information is available (and expected) with a new sense of immediacy. Communication has effectively been globalized, with the boundaries of local communities obliterated with access to others across the globe at the click of the finger.

This has huge discursive implications in the context of how religion is experienced and practice. First, it means that discussion is not limited to local community and issues. The breadth and scope of discourse is opened. Beliefs can be challenged, and more importantly, find support, from all corners of the globe. Secondly, it means that people can access religious ritual and discussion as they desire, day or night. The domain of religion and spirituality is no longer limited by physical time and space. It can occur in a private sphere, when required or desired. Thirdly, the way we interact with the internet implicates the way we interact with religious discourse and beliefs. Fundamentalist or literalist subscriptions to sacred texts will naturally shy away from debate that challenges conventional meaning and institutionalization of religion. Far from this meaning that the fundamentalist discourse is excluded from the conversation, it finds support through others who subscribe to that discourse. In the same way, those with beliefs that might otherwise grate against the grain of institutional religion find support in numbers online. Religion and spirituality can be reborn into the popular discourse and taken exclusively out of the Church or mosque. Young people in particular can engage with their spiritual concerns in a new way. The inquisitive nature of debate means that beliefs are constantly reassessed. Far from destabilizing religious or spiritual belief, however, this discourse solidifies it.  People find support as much as they find challenge to their belief-sets, and those challenges seek only to solidify the boundaries of religious or spiritual identity.

Source: WikiCommons.

I find the internet to be a primary source of inspiration and ritualization of my spiritual experience. As a yoga teacher, the yoga community online provides a rich and decadent source of information and knowledge that is not otherwise available through the local community. The diversity of contributors means that I can find my niche – and find support with others. This has been incredibly powerful in establishing a form of spiritual, and practical, identity as a teacher and as a philosopher.

Contrary to seeing the internet as a threat to institutional religion, I see it as a re-empowerment of traditional religious discourse. New media, in my mind, strengthens religious identity in line with the social expectations and attitudes of contemporary society. The internet is a case where we must other get on board or be left behind. 

References

Campbell, H. 2010. Where Religion Meets New Media. New York: Routledge. Ebook.