Rethinking the Study of “Religion” and Media from an Existential Perspective

Abstract

The broadening of the concept of religion from a substantive, anthropological definition to a more cultural, functional definition has enabled expansion of the study of media, technology and religion into a much wider field of social phenomena. It has Ben argued that this expansion has been so broad and unbounded that the more appropriate question in this field of study is no longer “What is religion?”, but “What isn’t religion?” This paper contends that the time is ripe to set aside a dualistic lens of religion and secular and look instead at embodie human reality as incorporating not only material, empirical and instrumental characteristics but also tanscendental, metaphysical and non-empirical characteristics that also need to be theorised in secular terms.

Pushing boundaries and blurring categories in digital media and religion research

“…Along with the examination of the embodied and sensory aspects of media and religion, scholars are also pushing beyond defining religion as the only fixed concept or category where one can reflect upon the transcendent and intangible aspects of life. As Horsfield () discusses, there is a whole realm of human existence that falls into the ethereal and inexplicable. Religion is just one term that we use to describe an engagement with this realm, and Horsfield advocates that scholars break away from the religion/secular dualism to “see embodied human reality as incorporating not only material, empirical, and instrumental characteristics, but also qualities of transcendent, metaphysical or non‐empirical reality or imperative that need to be recognized, analyzed and theorized communally with the same attention given the material and empirical” (p. 57–58).…”

The Phenomenon of Religious Activities in the Digital Era: Studies on Indonesia Students

“…This indirectly explains that when digital media is used as a reference source for da'wah content, his party has combined the use of traditional and new media. According to Horsfield (2018), religious practice necessitates a complex side in which religion must have a means to fulfill its functional role of providing services to the people. Both are associated with the scope of the community, religious rituals, and the phases of discovering ideological significance in religious practice.…”

Mubalig Youtube Dan Komodifikasi Konten Dakwah

“…Tren yang muncul adalah internet mampu menjadi sumber rujukan atas pengetahuan keagamaan yang ingin diperoleh bagi sejumlah penggunanya. Horsfield (2018) menjelaskan adanya sisi kompleks dalam memaparkan praktik keagamaan yang menuntut cara agama untuk dapat memainkan peran fungsionalnya guna melayani umat, khususnya dalam konteks komunitas, ritual, serta upaya dalam menemukan ideologi makna.…”