Facebooking Religion and the Technologization of the Religious Discourse: A Case Study of a Botswana-based Prophetic Church (original) (raw)
Related papers
When Facebook Becomes Faithbook: Exploring Religious Communication in a Social Media Context
Social Media + Society, 2021
Processes of digitalization continue to have a profound effect on many old, traditional organizations. In institutions such as banks, theaters, and churches, established structures and practices are being challenged by digitization in general and the participatory logic of social media in particular. This article draws on Mark C. Taylor’s concepts of figuring and disfiguring to analyze empirical data gathered from the Church of Sweden Facebook page. The aim is to discuss how social media affects the conditions for religious communication and what the consequences are for a traditional religious organization such as the Church of Sweden.
aosi, 2018
Recent works on social media and religion have paid particular attention to the role of social media in the development of religious values, improvement of social values and gratification of faith-based content by using various methodologies. A missiological perspective or approach to social media and religion will assist in exploring the role of Facebook in the emergence of prophetic churches. The background of prophetic churches is discussed here to demonstrate the growth of these churches and how such growth is linked to the use of Facebook. The shortcomings of the use of Facebook are highlighted and recommendations are made on how such shortcomings can be addressed in future.
Semiotica, 2018
The influx of religious activities and religious discourse on the Internet has made it pertinent to examine the fundamental roles of language in the expression, presentation, understanding, and advancement of any set of religious beliefs and practices. One main aspect of online religious activities that continues to arrest the attention of scholars is the uniqueness of language used by religious practitioners. For instance, new linguistic strategies and devices have emerged as a result of bending language to suit trends on a new medium. The emergence of the Information Communication Technology (ICT) in the twenty-first century has also resulted in the manifestation of computer-mediated communication, with its attendant pervasive new forms of language and practices. Nigerian Pentecostal churches have used the Internet, especially the social media such as Facebook and Twitter, in propagating their doctrines. This study identifies emerging lexical trends in the way six Nigerian Penteco...
God’s Facebook Page: New Media and Religious Communications
The role of new media aids in the diffusion of beliefs and in the dissemination of information. One must remember that the new media, mainly meaning any electronic technology, is merely part of the evolutionary process of communication between humans. Only now, the information about a religion, the sharing of religious experiences, and social encounters happen nearly instantaneously, with very little cost, and from anywhere with web connectivity. In sum, the communication styles that existed pre-Internet circa 1991 are the same today, only now the happen faster, anywhere, and with reduced cost; these three factors of new media change the dissemination of religious information for all types of online religious activity.
Community and Social Interaction in Digital Religious Discourse in Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon
2013
Since the advent of the Internet, religion has maintained a very strong online presence. This study examines how African Christianity is negotiated and practised on the Internet. The main objectives are to investigate to what extent online worshippers in Nigeria, Ghana and Cameroon constitute (online) communities and how interactive the social networks of the churches are. This study shows that some important criteria for community are met by African digital worshippers. However, interaction flow is more of one to many, thus members do not regularly interact with one another as they would in offline worship. Worshippers view the forums as a sacred space solely for spiritual matters and not for sharing social or individual feelings and problems. However, the introduction of social media networks such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and interactive forums is an interesting and promising new development in religious worship in Africa.
Chapter 6 Nationalizing Christianity and Hijacking Religion on Facebook
Contesting Religion
Yest ow earing the cross whenever and wherever Ic hoose (YWC) is a Facebook group that was established in November2 013 to campaign for the right of at elevision news anchor to wear ac ross pendant.YWC with its more than 100,000 likes, swiftlyb ecame al ocus for discussingr eligion in society in general. Arangeofparticipants, with various agendas and modes of interaction are drawntoYWC:conservative Christians, nationalists, humanists, fervent secularists, and ardent atheists-'hijacking religion' in multiple ways.Among those positive to Christianity, it is for the most part construed as either ar eligion of 'identity' or 'compassion'.This chapter builds on ethnographic research and focuses on the generic positions, repetitive patterns of communication, writing styles,a nd modes of enacting the conflict(s). There is ap articulare mphasis on how people'se motions, narratives, and worldviews shape the wayt hey engage with mediatizedc onflict and playi nto the internal group dynamics.
Religious Language on Social Media: Perspectives of Content Producers and Users
Medya ve Din Araştırmaları Dergisi, 2023
Nowadays, when the distinction between the digital and physical worlds is becoming less and less clear, social media is becoming the most important platform to meet people's communication needs. People are increasingly using social media to access the information they need about their beliefs as well as many other issues. While some of those who produce religious content on social media continue to convey their messages using traditional religious language, some content producers produce content in accordance with the popular language of social media. In this study, the issue of how the religious language in social media should be addressed by referring to the opinions of both content producers and social media users. In the research conducted within the study, semi-structured interviews were made with 27 social media users and 5 content producers, and the collected data were analyzed by descriptive analysis method. According to the findings, the language that social media users and content producers should use when sharing religious content on social media should be consistent, sincere, away from financial expectations, concise, tolerant, aesthetic, appropriate to the language of youth and holistic. In addition, religious content should be away from prohibitive language and should not distort the essence of religious values for the sake of popularity.