"The way people communicate, gather, and process information continues to evolve in response to new communication technologies. With the rise of the internet and digital media, the use of traditional media platforms, such as radio, decreased. Radio Veritas Asia (RVA), a non-profit Catholic radio sta
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tion, transitioned from shortwave broadcasting to a digital online format to address the decline in its radio listenership. With these changes in RVA, this study aimed to understand the media consumption patterns, preferences, and satisfaction levels of religious online media consumers in South and Southeast Asia, including the Philippines, with a specific focus on their engagement with the Radio Veritas Asia website. Through online surveys, the study found that media consumption patterns, preferences, and satisfaction levels vary moderately across the Philippines, Southeast Asia, and South Asia. The frequency of religious content consumption, such as news about the Catholic faith and daily Gospel reflections via the RVA website, ranges from three to seven days per week. While the internet offers multimodality-encompassing textual, visual, audio, and audiovisual formats-there remains a strong preference for written text among South and Southeast Asian audiences. Satisfaction levels were consistently high across all areas. This satisfaction is influenced by RVA's digital platform's characteristics, its usability, and its content, which effectively address the cognitive, emotional, and social needs of the audience." (Abstract)
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"This study aims to examine how active users of social media in relation to their religious values and commitments evaluate the construction and byproducts of religion online. The results show that there are three main repertoires related to the use of social media and religiosity in Turkey: religio
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sity as religious duties, religiosity as interpreting Islam and religiosity for managing impressions. The results can be evaluated together with the secularization theory, that is, discourses about being religious ‘warn’ individuals about the negative consequences of social media use, while offering an alternative to the positive ones." (Publisher description)
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"Die folgenden Handlungsbedarfe und Empfehlungen aus dem MDG-Trendmonitor 2020/21 wurden auf ihre Gültigkeit im aktualisierten Sinus-Milieumodell überprüft und angepasst. Dabei zeigt sich: Das grundlegende Spannungsfeld zwischen milieuspezifischer Affinität (insbes. in den traditionellen Milieus
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) bzw. Distanz (insbes. in den postmodernen Milieus) zu Religion, Kirche und Glaube bildet sich auch im aktualisierten Milieumodell ab. Auch auf Basis der neuen Sinus-Milieus zeigt die Milieuanalyse des MDG-Trendmonitors 2020/21, dass die katholische Kirche ihrem Anspruch, Volkskirche zu sein, nicht gerecht wird: Sie erreicht nicht alle sozialen Milieus bzw. kann nur wenige Lebenswelten nachhaltig an sich binden. Die neu vorgelegte Analyse macht deutlich, wo die gesellschaftlichen Milieus im Spektrum von kirchennah bis kirchendistanziert verortet werden können und welche spezifischen Brücken und Barrieren im Zugang zu Kirche bestehen." (Empfehlungen, Seite 68)
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"There is a growing gap between the coverage of religion and the needs of the faithful–global desire for better coverage, understanding and representation of faith in media. 53% of respondents [of the online survey among 9,489 adults in 18 countries across six continents] say the media actively ig
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nores religion as an aspect of society and culture today. 59% of respondents believe it’s important that the news media covers a diverse set of faith and religious perspectives or content. 63% of people globally said that high quality content on faith and religion is needed in their respective countries. People want faith and religious stereotypes to be addressed: 61% say media perpetuates these stereotypes rather than protects against them. 78% believe such stereotypes should get the same or more attention as race and gender stereotypes. 8 in 10 believe faith and religious groups must provide more relevant spokespeople. Over 85% want more diversity and lived experiences from these representatives (among those who feel faith and media groups must do more). Journalists feel that coverage of faith & religion is poor, inconsistent, and becoming more marginalized. They express fear around ’getting right’ religious coverage, particularly in largely secular newsrooms. Religious stories are not seen as a good fit for ‘hard’ news, easier to do ‘soft’ coverage and focus ‘hard’ news on times of controversy or scandal." (Findings at-a-glance, page 5)
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"Während im Jahr 2015 rund zwei Drittel der (Erz-)Bistümer und die Hälfte der Landeskirchen im Social Web präsent waren, sind es in 2020 mit einzelnen Ausnahmen alle. In den letzten fünf Jahren ist die Zahl der Abonnenten und Follower auf den einzelnen Kanälen gestiegen. Auch wenn Abonnentenza
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hlen und Engagement bei allen (Erz-)Bistümern und Landeskirchen insgesamt gestiegen sind, gibt es regional große Unterschiede, wie stark dieser Anstieg ausgefallen ist. Es ist deutlich zu sehen, dass die Etablierung eines Social-Media-Kanals und der Aufbau einer Community Zeit benötigen: Die (Erz-)Bistümer und Landeskirchen, die bereits 2014/15 aktiv waren und hohe Abonnentenzahlen erzielten, verfügen auch 2020 im Vergleich über höhere Abonnentenzahlen." (Seite 3)
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"Wie steht es aus Sicht der Katholikinnen und Katholiken um ihre katholische Kirche? Betrachten sie diese überhaupt als "ihre" Kirche? Welche Medien nutzen Katholikinnen und Katholiken, um kirchliche und religiöse Inhalte und Botschaften zu erhalten? Diesen und weiteren Fragen geht der "MDG-Trendm
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onitor - Religiöse Kommunikation 2020/21" nach. Die Trendstudie wird seit 1999 zum vierten Mal im Auftrag der MDG erhoben und kann somit Daten aus ca. 20 Jahren vergleichen. Durchgeführt wurde sie vom Institut für Demoskopie Allensbach in Kooperation mit der SINUS Markt- und Sozialforschung. Dem Wandel der Zeit folgend fokussiert der neue Trendmonitor insbesondere die digitalen Angebote und Kommunikation der katholischen Kirche. Darüber hinaus werden auch kirchliche Medien betrachtet, die erst seit wenigen Jahren am Markt sind, wie zum Beispiel Mitgliedermagazine. Eine weitere Neuheit des neuen Trendmonitors ist das letzte Kapitel. Hier finden sich Kommentare von renommierten Medienexperten und Wissenschaftlern: Die Daten der beiden Institute werden durch unterschiedliche Perspektiven wie eine religionssoziologische, kommunikationswissenschaftliche oder pastoraltheologische betrachtet." (Verlagsbeschreibung)
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"After the completion of five successful years of media ministry and while proceeding into the sixth year, it was decided by the Tamil Nadu Bishops' Conference (TNBC) and the core team of Madha TV to make a study on the impact created by Madha TV and the expectation of its viewers so that we can pro
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ceed further more effectively in our media ministry [...] Rev. Dr. Christopher and his theam with lots of sacrificeand hard work have collected samples from 10,154 viewers from all walks of life, to make this survey more authentic and scientific." (Preface, page iii-iv)
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"In a nutshell, this research reveals that indigenous Tamil Christian satellite television channels [i.e., Angel TV, Aaseervatham TV, Madha TV, Power of God TV, Salvation TV] are liked by the Christian viewers. The viewers watch those channels for the gratifications of moral, psychological, and reli
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gious benefits. Therefore, the religious television channels have multiple responsibilities of gratifying the viewers morally, socially, culturally, and psychologically. This research makes a gentle recommendation to the Christians in Tamil Nadu that they may watch Tamil Christian religious channels to fulfil their religious, moral, psychological, social, cultural, educational, and family needs." (Page 238)
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"With 13 religions, 8061 religious centers, 2 million of young people, Catalonia accommodates a wide range of religions. Almost 90% of people own digital devices. In this framework, we aim to study the consumption of digital media by Catalan millennials from all over the region, with only young peop
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le from the city of Barcelona being excluded for the purpose of analysis in future projects. Religious apps, games, websites, online communities and participation in forums are some of the main issues we want to explore. We also aim to establish whether or not these devices contribute to consolidate online religious communities and to achieve inter-religious dialogue. For fulfilling this goal, we surveyed more than 1800 young people aged 12–18 years. Methodology also included in-depth interviews with coordinators from youth organizations and netnography. This research is based on previous investigations into communication, digital media, sociology and religion by authors such as Campbell, Elzo, Leurs and Hemming." (Abstract)
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"Satellite TV and the Internet revolutions have reinvigorated religious discourse in public spaces. Across the world, religious TV channels and Internet religious websites have taken up the roles of traditional religious spaces such as churches, mosques, synagogues, gurdwaras and temples. Islamic re
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ligious content through fatwa (religious verdict) programmes and other online and satellite TV genre has attracted considerable attention over the last fifteen years. Such programmes have become influential platforms in constructing people’s opinions. On Islamic-oriented satellite TV channels, fatwa provision has nowadays become a sophisticated phenomenon exceeding the traditional scope of religious teaching. To understand fatwa and its possible impact, it is necessary to gauge the plethora of platforms available for audiences and users as sources of understanding their religious needs starting with satellite TV programmes to the unlimited online platforms for the diffusion of their religious decree. This research attempts to understand the extent to which fatwa programmes on satellite TV and radio are significant in shaping people’s opinion. Through the implementation of an extensive survey questionnaire on a sample of the Qatari society in addition to interviews with experts and religious scholars, findings show that fatwa on satellite programme can be very important in helping viewers better understand their religion. The results also indicated that respondents included in the survey showed apathy when it comes to the implementation of rulings coming from muftis on TV. In short, respondents may watch fatwa or religious programmes on satellite TV or they may listen to them on the Qur’an radio in Qatar but they do not necessarily consider them as totally authentic. Authentic scholarly views on matters of religious seem to be more credible when they originate from a reputable Imam whom they see face to face. Moreover, results show that satellite TV has facilitated the emergence of the pan-Arab mufti or global Faqeeh. It has also facilitated the emergence of independent muftis and freed fatwa from the official religious authorities in various countries." (Publisher description)
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"Die ARD-Themenwoche 2017 hat ihre Ziele, nämlich möglichst viele Menschen mit einem besonderen Themenangebot vertieft in Kontakt zu bringen und Angebote zur Reflexion über den eigenen Glauben und den Glauben anderer Menschen an zu bieten, erreicht und damit erneut einen Beitrag zum Public Value
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geleistet. Mehr als 33 Millionen Zuschauer bzw. 45 Prozent aller Fernsehnutzer wurden zwischen dem 11. und 17. Juni 2017 mit mindestens einer Sendung der ARD-Themenwoche „Woran glaubst Du?“ erreicht. Von Ende April bis Ende Juni 2017 wurde die Seite www.themenwoche.ard.de fast zwei Millionen Mal aufgerufen. Sehr hoch war die Beteiligung an den interaktiven Angeboten – entweder direkt auf der Webseite oder in den sozialen Medien –, bei denen Menschen ihre persönlichen Ansichten zu Fragen des Glaubens einbringen und mitdiskutieren konnten. So griffen 43 000 Nutzer und Nutzerinnen auf den Liveblog zu und posteten eigene Beiträge, um Einiges höher noch war die Beteiligung via Facebook und Twitter. Erfolgreich war auch das Zusammenspiel der verschiedenen ARD-Medien, um Menschen in verschiedenen Zielgruppen mit den Inhalten der Themenwoche anzusprechen." (Zusammenfassung)
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"This thesis is a theoretically framed and historically informed sociological analysis of how digital technology usage shapes religious identity in Pakistan. The development literature is dominated by assumptions of technologically driven progress towards secularisation and studies of technology pro
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jects, yet there are few empirical studies of everyday ICT day use, and religion remains significant in Pakistan. To explain this, I draw on theoretical literature, the Pakistan religious identity literature and twelve months of fieldwork (2014-2015) to present an analysis of how Facebook shapes the enactment of religious identity by young people in three cities in the Punjab, Pakistan [...] My empirical findings show that the new technologies of social media, mobile phones and mobile internet interact with public discourse and everyday practice to shape religious identity. First, I show this by describing how Facebook’s construction as a blasphemous technology strengthens existing discourses of religious nationalism. Second, I show how Facebook’s technological discourses of singular authenticity shape the enactment of religious identity with implications for religious minorities. My final analysis theorises how the use of Facebook shapes religious identity through the emergence of what I call ‘digital secularisation’." (Abstract)
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"Satellite TV channels from the Middle East started beaming into Eritrea from 1996, and the Eritrean youth are avid consumers of the global messages from across the borders. Following an in-depth interview method as a research technique, using an unstructured, openended questionnaire, the present st
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udy presents how ethnicity and religion play a role in making meaning out of the messages of Middle East-based Arabic TV channels among lowland Tigre-/Arabic-speaking Eritrean youth aged 18–25 years. The researchers have observed the way foreign TV channel programmes have influenced family norms, social roles for women, sexual norms, lifestyles and music preferences of young Tigre viewers. The study concludes that Islam and Arabic language are two important factors influencing the lowland Tigre youth in picking up Arabic channels as they reinforce the same culture and traditions apart from creating Pan-Arab identities among the Arabic-/Tigre-speaking youth, at the same time preserving the indigenous culture from the influence of the West." (Abstract)
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"The paper focuses on the social media use in religious communication by Kerala Christians who largely migrated after India's independence to Ahmedabat, Gujarat, India. Further, the paper attempts to analyze the way digital and social media are accessed and utilized by the migrant Kerala Christians
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in Ahmedabat for religious as well as non-religious purposes. The paper is basedon a survey of social media and a pilot study was carried out by interns of a business school in Ahmedabat which was followed by a large survey of three religious groups namely Hindu, Muslim and Christian during February-April 2015. The present paper is based on a survey of 211 Christian respondents in the total sample of 711." (Page 67)
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"The emergence of Islam and Muslim public spheres in cyberspace has progressed along with the development of Information and Communication Technologies. Just like believers of other faiths, Muslim individuals are enthusiastic in sharing their faith, beliefs, and values at the click of a mouse. Based
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on an online survey conducted on 525 respondents, this study seeks further understanding on the factors that influence engagement in online religious activities among Muslims. Through the application of the Theory of Planned Behavior, results from the study revealed five important predictors of online religious engagement, namely attitude–Internet perception, the subjective norms of the Muslim community, the Internet self-efficacy, level of religiosity among Muslims, and offline media usage for religious purposes." (Abstract)
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"The article discusses the relationship of young engaged Catholics in Slovakia to the various media outlets which they follow. It attempts to reveal which media outlets are considered to be inspiring and thought-provoking and how are they perceived and evaluated by their followers. The author draws
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from extensive research into the interpretation of Church news and current affairs within the community of young engaged Catholics; therefore, the findings related to media reception presented herein also include demographical and personality characteristics for individual audiences. The findings are also presented within the context of three specific Church-related news stories: the contentious removal of Róbert Bezák from his position as Archbishop of Trnava, the financial separation of the Church and state, and clerical celibacy. The underlying research was conducted using combined questionnaires, both quantitative and qualitative, on a sample of 339 suitable respondents. The research reveals that the most inspiring Slovak media outlet according to the young engaged Catholics is the secular weekly týžden, followed by the Catholic television channel Lux. The research has revealed a significant discrepancy between the opinions of the audiences of secular media and the audiences of official Church media: while the former are very critical of Church media, the latter seem to be more reluctant to turn to secular media." (Abstract)
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"Today the relations between Arab audiences and Arab media are characterised by pluralism and fragmentation. More than a thousand Arab satellite TV channels alongside other new media platforms are offering all kinds of programming. Religion has also found a vital place as a topic in mainstream media
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or in one of the approximately 135 religious satellite channels that broadcast guidance and entertainment with an Islamic frame of reference. How do Arab audiences make use of mediated religion in negotiations of identity and belonging? The empirical based case studies in this interdisciplinary volume explore audience-media relations with a focus on religious identity in different countries such as Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Great Britain, Germany, Denmark, and the United States." (Publisher description)
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