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God’s Influencers : How Social Media Users Shape Religion and Pious Self-Fashioning

Marei, Fouad Gehad LU orcid (2024) In Journal of Religion, Media and Digital Culture 13(2). p.143-172
Abstract

Drawing on the contributions presented in the special issue “God’s Influencers: How Social Media Users Shape Religion and Pious Self-Fashioning”, this introduction explores resonances and dissonances between the six articles: First, I reconsider the online/offline connection in relation to the religious actors examined. Then, I articulate a post techno-utopian vision of religion online, identifying digital media as a social space where inequalities, prejudices and power structures offline can be both reinforced and challenged. Third, I shed light on the subjective turn in the way online religious actors understand and impart “authenticity”, a heatedly debated concept in the context of both religion and social media. Fourth, I present... (More)

Drawing on the contributions presented in the special issue “God’s Influencers: How Social Media Users Shape Religion and Pious Self-Fashioning”, this introduction explores resonances and dissonances between the six articles: First, I reconsider the online/offline connection in relation to the religious actors examined. Then, I articulate a post techno-utopian vision of religion online, identifying digital media as a social space where inequalities, prejudices and power structures offline can be both reinforced and challenged. Third, I shed light on the subjective turn in the way online religious actors understand and impart “authenticity”, a heatedly debated concept in the context of both religion and social media. Fourth, I present some of the communicative strategies that the religious social media users examined in this special issue employ. And, finally, I conclude by sketching future research directions in the study of how social media users shape religion and pious self-fashioning.

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Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
digital materiality, digital religion, digital-religious culture, orthopraxy, social media
in
Journal of Religion, Media and Digital Culture
volume
13
issue
2
pages
30 pages
publisher
Brill
external identifiers
  • scopus:85209149177
ISSN
2588-8099
DOI
10.1163/21659214-Bja10140
language
English
LU publication?
yes
additional info
Publisher Copyright: © Fouad gehad Marei, 2024.
id
50824fe2-3846-4176-882b-a1a001274336
date added to LUP
2025-01-23 09:34:53
date last changed
2025-04-04 14:07:25
@article{50824fe2-3846-4176-882b-a1a001274336,
  abstract     = {{<p>Drawing on the contributions presented in the special issue “God’s Influencers: How Social Media Users Shape Religion and Pious Self-Fashioning”, this introduction explores resonances and dissonances between the six articles: First, I reconsider the online/offline connection in relation to the religious actors examined. Then, I articulate a post techno-utopian vision of religion online, identifying digital media as a social space where inequalities, prejudices and power structures offline can be both reinforced and challenged. Third, I shed light on the subjective turn in the way online religious actors understand and impart “authenticity”, a heatedly debated concept in the context of both religion and social media. Fourth, I present some of the communicative strategies that the religious social media users examined in this special issue employ. And, finally, I conclude by sketching future research directions in the study of how social media users shape religion and pious self-fashioning.</p>}},
  author       = {{Marei, Fouad Gehad}},
  issn         = {{2588-8099}},
  keywords     = {{digital materiality; digital religion; digital-religious culture; orthopraxy; social media}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{2}},
  pages        = {{143--172}},
  publisher    = {{Brill}},
  series       = {{Journal of Religion, Media and Digital Culture}},
  title        = {{God’s Influencers : How Social Media Users Shape Religion and Pious Self-Fashioning}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/21659214-Bja10140}},
  doi          = {{10.1163/21659214-Bja10140}},
  volume       = {{13}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}