Abstract
This article offers theoretical reflections on the study of religion and the Internet by critically discussing the notion of “digital religion” (Campbell 2012). In particular, it stresses the importance of integrating material and spatial approaches to the study of digital religion. In doing so, it proposes the theory of “hypermediated religious spaces” to describe processes of religious mediation between online and offline environments by taking into account materiality and space. The article discusses theoretical perspectives by means of case studies: first, the importance of materiality within Internet practices is illustrated through the example of Neo-Pagan online rituals; second, the notion of space, and “third space” in particular, in relation to Internet practices is analyzed through the case of the hashtag #Nous-Sommes-Unis, circulated by French Muslims; third, the theory of hypermediated spaces is exemplified by the analysis of a live-streamed mass in the Italian city of Manerbio during the Covid-19 lockdown. The article aims at kindling scholarly reflections on terminologies and theories for the global and interdisciplinary study of digital religion.
Highlights
The image of Pope Francis standing alone in a dark and empty St Peter’s square on the 27th of March 2020, giving a special Urbi et Orbi blessing to pray for the end of the Covid-19 pandemic (Watkins 2020), exemplifies some facets of religion during the Covid-19 lockdown
The article discusses theoretical perspectives by means of case studies: first, the importance of materiality within Internet practices is illustrated through the example of Neo-Pagan online rituals; second, the notion of space, and “third space” in particular, in relation to Internet practices is analyzed through the case of the hashtag #Nous-SommesUnis, circulated by French Muslims; third, the theory of hypermediated spaces is exemplified by the analysis of a live-streamed mass in the Italian city of Manerbio during the Covid-19 lockdown
In theorizing hypermediated religious spaces, I showed that approaches to religious mediation need to take into account materiality and space
Summary
The image of Pope Francis standing alone in a dark and empty St Peter’s square on the 27th of March 2020, giving a special Urbi et Orbi blessing to pray for the end of the Covid-19 pandemic (Watkins 2020), exemplifies some facets of religion during the Covid-19 lockdown. As people could no longer physically participate in religious functions, the special Urbi et Orbi was consumed exclusively through media, either television or Internet streaming This image may suggest that the Covid lockdown brought extraordinary changes to religion, with mediation substituting the physicality of believers gathered around the pontiff. I will analyze the case of a Catholic church in Italy employing live streaming as a substitute for physical engagement during the Covid-19 lockdown to show how materiality and space are hypermediated during moments of limited physical interactions This last case is the only one addressing religion during the Covid-19 pandemic, and aims both at highlighting how this historical moment intensified online practices, and at stressing continuities with previous examples of digital religion. Establishing whether online religious functions and interactions are authentic is beyond the scope of this article, but it aims at offering an overview of theories on materiality, space, and religion that will hopefully help understand online and offline performances as entangled rather than separated
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