Social media and religious change

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This volume offers unique insights into the interplay between social media practices and religious change. Part 1 explores how social media and mass media collaboratively shape discourses on religion and spirituality. It includes a longitudinal study of British news media coverage of Christianity, secularism, and religious diversity (Knott et al.); an analysis of responses to the documentaries 'The Monastery' and 'The Convent' (Thomas); an evaluation of sacred theories in religion and media studies within the 'strong program' in US cultural sociology (Lynch); and a study on the impact of mass and social media synergies on public perceptions of Islam in the Netherlands (Herbert). Part 2 focuses on social media's role in constructing contemporary martyrs and media celebrities, utilizing mixed and mobile methods to analyze fan sites (Bennett & Campbell) and jihadi websites and YouTube (Nauta). Part 3 addresses how specific bounded religious communities navigate social media challenges, featuring Judaism in Second Life (Abrams & Baker), Bahá'í web use regulation (Campbell & Fulton), YouTube evangelists (Pihlaja), and public expressions of bereavement (Greenhill & Fletcher). The book presents theoretically informed empirical case studies, revealing a complex picture of the aesthetic, ethical, demographic, and discursive dimensions of new communication spaces and their implications for religious institutions, beliefs, and practices.