Religious Use of Mobile Phones

Abstract

Mobile phones have had a profound impact on many aspects of contemporary life, including the practice of religion. This chapter outlines the significance of the intersection of religion and mobile phone technology. The study of religion and mobile phones is closely connected to the broader field of “digital religion,” which for nearly two decades has explored how religious individuals and communities use and respond to digital media. Scholars of digital religion have argued that religious communities and culture are increasingly being influence and shaped by digital media in notable ways, especially in relation to issues of identity, community, and authority (Campbell, 2012). These issues are also important in understanding how religious groups engage with and are influenced by mobile technologies and digital culture. The chapter begins by defining the study of mobile media and outlines the history of digital religion as a field of study. Next, it highlights three key areas of research focus in relation to religion and mobile media: the use of mobile media by religious individuals and communities, how religion has been expressed through mobile applications, and reflection on broader cultural significance of the intersection of religion and mobile phones. This leads to a discussion of emerging issues within the study of religion and mobile phones.

Inclusion in an age of mobility

“…Other obvious transformations are in forms of artistic expression, creating or mutating genres for art, creating new artists and new markets for their work, from blogs and flash mobs to ringtones and downloads (for example, Epstein 2004;Lillie 2012;Senft and Baym 2015), in our spiritual life (Cho and Campbell 2015;Williams and Gray 2010) and in our political life (Hermanns 2008;Miard 2012) as the old sedentary institutions and organisations lose touch with the values and concerns of people growing up in a different world; and to crime and wrong-doing from BlackBerry-enabled rioters to trolling, sexting, happyslapping, blue-jacking and cyber-sex (Traxler 2009). This short account clearly abbreviates and exaggerates something far more complex and subtle but the points are nevertheless relevant to our discussion.…”