Introduction to the Study of Digital Religion

Abstract

Abstract This chapter provides an overview of the rise of digital religion studies as a unique area of inquiry into the influence of digital technologies on religious communities and how scholars have applied this approach in their research and the way that this has shaped the understanding of religious culture more broadly. While digital religion initially emerged as an area of conversation separately within media/internet studies and religious studies in the past decade, it has now become an interdisciplinary area of inquiry, engaging scholars from varied backgrounds and fields such as communication, media studies, religious studies, and the sociology of religion and theology. This chapter lays the context and groundwork necessary for understanding the ways in which digital media integration is not only impacting specific groups of religious users but is also shaping contemporary conceptions of religious belief, community, and meaning-making.