Mediatization Of Religion

Upon assessment of the technologically advanced societies of the 21st century, it is evident that the media have expanded to almost all areas of society and permeates the majority of social institutions, and subsequently make up a pervasive network (Castells, 1996) through which almost all human interaction and communication must be filtered. The mediatization of religion is an expansive, complex and detailed process which has taken place over a matter of time. It has often been discounted and invalidated by scholars and theorists alike, but detailed studies and expansive research has contradicted those invalidations. To examine the mediatization of religion it is essential to assess the institution under validated frameworks provided by theorists,

The framing of religion and religious issues is often credited to journalistic news media, with actors complying with the demands of the journalistic news media in order to get attention. Religious organisations are more than aware of the power bestowed upon the journalistic news media, they have the power to influence, encourage and discount the masses religious thoughts and ideals. Stories involving religion ranging from complimentary to eradicating are all implied and considered to be ‘news worthy’, with religious actors having to conform to the role as a news source. Religion have fought to regain some control with the initiatives to develop their own media ventures like religious television stations, religious newspapers and religious resources online in order to perpetuate their version of religion from their viewpoint, unharmed by secular media. Due to the abundant growth of the internet and social network media, religious actors have now acquired new approaches of interacting with potential followers/believers. Examining the religious media of the USA, it is clear that the media has played an integral role in the formation and continuation of certain religions, for example televangelism has played

The media now act as the arena in the orchestration of public ritual events involving celebration, commiseration and mourning. The constitution of mass media and social network media has effected national and cultural communities in various ways, by allowing the individual to interact with the wider net of community and experience a sense of belonging (Anderson, 1994; Carey, 1989). For the modern individual, the various forms of media have provided moral orientation on and at national and individual level (Hjarvard, 2009) as well as emotional consolation in times of tragedy and crisis. The media has encouraged and facilitated various forms of worship behaviour by feeding directly into fandom and celebrity culture. It is clear to see that there are functional and structural similarities between media and religion; these similarities do not directly imply that the media become religious when preforming such functions. In actuality it points toward the fact that religious practices and functions may be transformed and re-contextualized in more secular domains. The specific impact media has had upon religion is often undermined and frequently contradicted, however it is clear when viewing media as a ‘conduit, language, and environment’ are largely responsible for the validation and confirmation of the mediatization of