Methodological Challenges, Innovations and Growing Pains in Digital Religion Research

Campbell, Heidi A.; Altenhofen, Brian

doi:10.5040/9781474256292.ch-001

Cited by 6 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…2. See also Campbell and Altenhofen, 2015. 3. There are issues concerning research ethics if research is to be conducted online; for example, how consent is achieved between the researcher and the online participants.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Theology of the pain of God in the era of COVID-19: the reflections on sufferings by three Hong Kong churches through online services

Chu

2021

Practical Theology

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Suffering is probably a suitable word to describe the experiences of Hong Kong Christians in 2020, who must endure the continuous impact of anti-extradition law protests, the imposition of the national security law, 1 and the COVID-19 outbreak. Employing digital ethnography, this article examines the church's response to the pandemic between 26 January, the first Sunday Service after Wuhan announced lockdown, and 31 May, before most churches in Hong Kong had reopened. Three churches serve as case studies: ( 1) Catholic Diocese of Hong Kong; (2) Flow Church, an evangelical parachurch established in early 2019 in response to the loss of church members after the Umbrella Movement; and (3) Shatin Baptist Church, a suburban megachurch known for its music worship. In light of their different denominational backgrounds and geographical positions, these three examples complement each other and demonstrate the range of responses of Hong Kong Christians to the pandemic. The article also sheds light on how churches, despite social distancing, collectively and creatively connect online with the suffering ones. Due to the lack of theological discourse regarding the pain experienced during this pandemic, this article also engages with Kazoh Kitamori's (1916-1998) theology of the pain of God to further develop the theological discourse raised in online worship, which may assist Christians globally in reflecting on this topic.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Theology of the pain of God in the era of COVID-19: the reflections on sufferings by three Hong Kong churches through online services

Chu

2021

Practical Theology

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“…The sacred is no longer ineffable; it is now easier to understand and is even accessible through YouTube where we can indeed find religious tutorials such as ‘how to take the perfect ritual bath’ or ‘how to pray’, alongside Hijab tutorials on how to look fashionable and still be modest. These technologies can also be used as a form of control as discovered in a research by Heidi Campbell and Altenhofen, (2016) in which some Jewish groups have created filters to protect their users from accessing content regarded as immoral. There is also a version of YouTube for Christians, GodTube, and a Facebook for Muslims, Millatfacebook.com, that provide a religious safe environment.…”

Section: Digital Capitalismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Religion, the i-zation of society and COVID-19

Possamaï

2022

Social Compass

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With the advancement of new technologies, instrumental rationality, as described by Weber and Ritzer, has been carried further towards the self in a process described as the i-zation of society. This is in elective affinity with the expansion of digital capitalism which is aligned with recent global and transnational developments. Religion has not been left untouched and has adapted itself, if not embraced, these changes brought by neoliberalism. This article argues that with the advent of COVID-19, we can observe an acceleration and intensification of these affinities which are currently further altering the religious ‘digitalscape’.

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“…Existing research and reviews addressing the evolution of DRSs have exhibited a range of focal points. While some studies have exclusively concentrated on theoretical approaches (Campbell, 2017b;Çiçek, 2022;Hjarvard, 2011) within the field, others have delved into methodological advancements (Campbell and Altenhofen, 2016;Dereli, 2022a) 1 . A subset of research endeavors incorporates an examination of both theoretical frameworks and methodological developments, further augmented by an exploration of the field's chronological development.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Framing the Study of Digital Religion: Waves of Academic Research, Theoretical Approaches and Themes

ERGEN

2023

Medya Ve Din Araştırmaları Dergisi

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The phenomenon of “digital religion” has emerged as a research field over the past quarter century as religious experiences integrate into the digital sphere. Within this field, researchers have adopted various theoretical frameworks and empirical methodologies to illuminate the complex dynamics that arise from the interaction between digital culture and religion. However, the existing literature on this topic is characterized by fragmentation, which makes a comprehensive understanding of its trajectory difficult. This fragmentation is particularly noticeable in the absence of a coherent narrative that outlines the field’s development. This study aims to provide a scholarly framework for understanding the trajectory of Digital Religion Studies (DRSs), encompassing successive waves of academic research, theoretical paradigms, and thematic foci. This study provides a qualitative assessment of existing literature on the relationship between digital culture and religion through a comprehensive review. A thorough literature review reveals that research in the field of digital religion can be classified into four distinct phases: descriptive, categorical, theoretical, and integrative. The prominent theoretical frameworks that have emerged media ecology, mediation, mediatization, religious-social shaping of technology (RSST), and hypermediation. Finally, the thematic categorization of research primarily revolves around topics, such as rituals, authenticity, identity, community, authority, and embodiment.

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Methodological Challenges, Innovations and Growing Pains in Digital Religion Research

Cited by 6 publications

References 0 publications

Theology of the pain of God in the era of COVID-19: the reflections on sufferings by three Hong Kong churches through online services

Theology of the pain of God in the era of COVID-19: the reflections on sufferings by three Hong Kong churches through online services

Religion, the i-zation of society and COVID-19

Framing the Study of Digital Religion: Waves of Academic Research, Theoretical Approaches and Themes

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