Heidi A. Campbell
This article suggests that religious practice online, rather than simply transforming religion, highlights shifts occurring within broader Western culture. The concept of “networked religion” is introduced as a way to encapsulate how religion functions online and suggests that online religion exemplifies several key social and cultural changes at work in religion in general society. Networked religion is defined by five key traits—networked community, storied identities, shifting authority, convergent practice, and a multisite reality—that highlight central research topics and questions explored within the study of religion and the internet. Studying religion on the internet provides insights not only into the common attributes of religious practice online, but helps explain current trends within the practice of religion and even social interactions in networked society.
IN 1996, Stephen O’Leary asserted that religion online would eventually transform religious beliefs and practices in revolutionary ways.
This led to much speculation about the future of religion and the potential of the internet to alter and reshape the very nature of religion
in the twenty-first century. In the last fifteen years, researchers have explored how religious authority, community, identity, and rituals have
been performed on the internet and the unique nature of religion online. However, while initial speculation suggested the nature of contemporary
religion might be completely altered due to online engagement, current research suggests the features of religion online closely
mirror changes within the practice of religion in contemporary society.
A critical literature review reveals that religious practice online is marked by a set of common characteristics, which are shaped by the
network structure and functionality of information communication technologies. These key traits include facilitating a networked community, storied identities, shifting authority, convergent practice, and a multisite reality. Together, these characteristics present an understanding of religion that is informed by a dynamic and integrated relationship between the sacred and the mundane online. The idea of “networked religion” encapsulates how religious experience, belief, and practice are lived out online through dynamic social relations and interaction. In this article, I argue that the network image helps us examine the
complex interplay and negotiations occurring between the individual and the community, new and old sources of authority, and public and
private identities in a networked society. The concept of networked religion highlights cultural and social shifts occurring both online and
offline. Thus, this article argues that online technology use and choices cannot be easily disembedded from offline contexts and so requires
looking at how offline practices guide online beliefs and behaviors.
This article begins with a brief history and analysis of the rise of the study of religion online to explore the extent to which the internet
transforms religion and/or reflects broader changes occurring within offline religious culture. By investigating key research studies detailing
how religion is practiced online, several common themes emerge. These encapsulate a distinctive understanding of how religion is being performed
by individuals and communities. Together the five traits of networked religion provide insights into how religious practice is not just
altered as it is imported online, but how religion on the internet reflects subtle shifts in religious cultural practice offline that have also been
noted within studies of religious culture in general. These characteristics create an interpretive model for explaining certain aspects of religious
life within a networked society. In this way, this article presents a critical analysis of the nature of religion online that not only points to indicators of the current state of religion, but also illuminates the social
reality of life in a networked society.