A practical theological analysis of the
communication of Christian motifs on Twitter
Abstract
Social media is considered one of the crucial drivers of a rapidly changing world. The continuing and growing influence of social media as an innovative, but also disruptive power can be observed in various fields, in which traditional practices are already being newly developed and run. Over the past decade, existing research has explored the influence of social media on church and religious practices. The relevance of this research, however, is further accentuated by the growing expressions of ‘lived religion’, which describes the contemporary articulation and communication of belief.
In this research, the collage of existing descriptions is further developed by investigating the possible role and meaning of the social media platform Twitter in the formulation and communication of Christian motifs. The character of the investigation is formed in the creative tension between the traditional formulation of theological language and the possibility of creating new contemporary Christian expressions that are accessible to all people.
The seven articles presented in this thesis are directly linked to the central theme of the research. In the thesis, the articles are logically and congruently grouped by making use of the key metaphor of ‘networked religion’, which is structurally backed by seven related perspectives. A detailed introductory chapter and a summary conclusion chapter provide orientation and reflection, respectively.
The articles are based on a practical theological orientation. In choosing this orientation for the research, I recognised the close, yet complex reflexive relationship between practice and theory. Methodologically, the experimental research project is anchored to a standard supposition for a practical theological description and reflection in formulating the praxis. In order to state the practical theological orientation, all the articles present a clear, but not exclusive qualitative, character. A narrative accent, with strong autobiographical emphases, which is also inherently part of the character of Twitter, stands central to the
deployment, management, administration and documentation of the research. On the basis of an extensive literature study and an analysis of comprehensive empirical data, four levels of description and analysis are indicated and presented in the included articles.
As expression of a classical, practical theological orientation, the continuous circular interaction between empirical data and theoretical perspectives is presented on the following four levels.
Firstly, a descriptive-empirical explanation of the origin and character of social media, with specific reference to Twitter as a microblogging platform, is provided. This description is complemented by perspectives from an initial pilot study, which serves as the design for the later empirical research.
Secondly, a specific hermeneutic for the interpretation of the social media phenomenon, with specific emphasis on the meaning of social media, in particular Twitter, is investigated. With direct reference to related empirical data, further theoretical perspectives are used to reflect on further elucidation and interpretation.
Thirdly, a normative dimension, with strong emphasis on the possible value and meaning of Christian motifs on Twitter, is provided. On the basis of a variety of detailed analyses, specific Twitter data sets associated with important periods on the Christian calendar are presented, analysed and described.
Lastly, the strategic or pragmatic meaning of the research is investigated on the basis of a reflective movement. Specific relevant sets of empirical data from Twitter are presented, analysed and described, in order to illustrate their potential value in the formulation of theological expressions and Christian motifs.
The four levels of research are reflected in the content and nature of the seven articles in the thesis, in view of the key metaphor of ‘networked theology’. The contribution of the research rests in the new formation of theory that could lead to creative, positive and relevant informing and construction of the praxis of theological articulation and communication.