AIM and SCOPE

MEDIA, DIGITAL CULTURE and RELIGION

Today, the media is an important element at the very center of individual and social life, with its various forms, from politics to economy, from art to literature, which significantly affects daily life, social practices and global social relations. Likewise, religions have a significant impact on individual and social life and have emerged as a common element in all societies from the earliest times. Due to its functionality and multifunctional structure, media has been an important tool for various religions and their members since early times, and media tools, which serve as an important tool in the distribution and dissemination of religious information, have been used effectively in the transmission of religious messages.
Media, and especially digital media with its contemporary appearance, is an important evaluation criterion in the transformation of religion as well as all social institutions, and it produces brand new religiosities in which the phenomenon of religion is subject to this global language, as it is an effective carrier of the global digital culture with all the opportunities it offers. There are many “popular” examples of how religion has adapted to the global digital culture spread by the media.
Applications such as online religious forums, virtual places of worship, digital prayer books bring religious experience to the digital environment. In addition, social media platforms allow religious groups and leaders to interact with their followers, disseminate religious content and announce religious events. On the other hand, the effects of digital culture on religious institutions and belief systems are also an important area of discussion. Digital technologies allow religious institutions to change their communication strategies, use digital marketing and advertising methods, and provide religious services on digital platforms. Discussions about religious authorities and how religious traditions can preserve their integrity mark another important area of discussion regarding digital culture and religion. Although all these determinations, the number of which can be increased, seem to be two different phenomena in the beginning, the media and religion are in an indistinguishable relationship and show the worthy side of the subject.
In the academic literature, studies dealing with the relationship between digital culture and religion are carried out in various disciplines. Studies in fields such as sociology of religion, communication studies, digital human sciences, cultural anthropology focus on this subject. In these studies, the effects of digital technologies on the transformation of religion, virtual communities and digital religious experiences, digital religious leadership, online religious practices, digital religious interactions, production and consumption of digital religious content are discussed.
While some studies argue that digital technologies superficial religious experience and weaken religious ties, other studies suggest that digital technologies can enrich the religious experience, facilitate the dissemination of religious information, and that religious communities can form strong bonds on digital platforms.