This book deals with three different subjects: geography, social media and religion equally to discuss e-religiosity in terms of screenscapes that shaped digital socialization processes wherein the role of digital devices in general and smartphones in particular are considered crucial and critical. The spatial dimension is the primary foundation of the book wherein both space and place are discussed in digital manifestations in spatial sense. Religiosity is discussed variably in a sense of spirituality, social theories, religions and images. The book uses some illustrations to understand image politics. Image politics is quintessential in the age of digital technologies when production and reproduction of images are not restricted to business only; rather it attracts politics too and politicians often use the same to make political scores against opponents.
The book covers contemporary digital discourses of e-religiosity in a sense of screenscapes that often found pivot in daily discussions across social media platforms. Screenscapes are considered as mediated technologies when contents can be accessed from different social media apps to construct or deconstruct their views, narratives, discourses, ideas, emotions, and perceptions around religious images in day-to-day activities, practices, rituals, customs, traditions, faiths and beliefs. The used illustrations exclusively map Indian religious gestures, identities, values, and rituals in digital-spatial contexts. The book discusses seven major questions and argues the same across the chapters in varied representations and interpretations: How and to what extent has the meaning of religiosity changed in the digital age? What are the dimensions of e-religiosity in India? How are digital devices (re)shaping religiosity in terms of e-religiosity? How and to what extent digital devices are negotiating with social and cultural lives? What is digital spatiality? How and to what extent does social media influence religiosity?
Author(s): Shekh Moinuddin
Publisher: Springer
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 174
City: Cham
Preface
Acknowledgements
Contents
Abbreviations
List of Figures
List of Graphs
List of Images
List of Tables
1 Remapping the Religion
1.1 Introduction: Mapping Religion
1.2 Understanding Religiosity
1.2.1 Karl Marx’s Perspective on Religion
1.2.2 Max Weber’s Perspective on Religion
1.2.3 Emile Durkheim’s Perspective on Religion
1.3 Comparative Analysis: Marx, Weber and Durkheim on Religion
1.3.1 Elements in Religiosity
1.3.2 Religiosity Versus Spirituality
1.3.3 Dimensions of Religiosity
1.3.4 Religious Motivation/Orientation
1.3.5 Prayer
1.3.6 Religious Coping
1.4 Contemporary Theories (New Paradigm) of Religiosity
1.4.1 Religion as Culture
1.4.2 Religion as Politics
1.4.3 Religion as Identity
1.4.4 Religion as Practices
1.4.5 Religion as Representations
1.5 Contouring e-Religiosity
Appendix: Digital India
Broadband Highways
Universal Access to Mobile Connectivity
Public Internet Access Program
E-Governance—Reforming Government Through Technology
E-Kranti—Electronic Delivery of Services
Information for All
Electronics Manufacturing
Early Harvest Programs
References
2 Contours of Mediatized Religiosity
2.1 Introduction: Digitalized Religiosity
2.1.1 Rituals of Digital Religiosity
2.2 Issues in Digital Religiosity
2.2.1 Spirituality
2.2.2 Morality
2.2.3 Practices
2.2.4 Religion
2.2.5 Identity
2.2.6 Religious Authority
2.3 Mediated Religiosity
2.3.1 Metaphors in Media
2.4 Mediatization, Modernity and Religiosity
2.5 Semiotics in Religiosity
2.5.1 Religiosity as Semiotics System
2.5.2 Semiotics in Digital Texts of Religiosity
2.5.3 The Relationship Between Metaphor and Metonymy
2.6 Values in Religiosity
2.6.1 Virtue Ethics
2.6.2 Virtue Ethics in Digital Religion
2.7 Materialism and Non-materialism in Religiosity
2.7.1 Religiosity and Consumer Behaviour
2.8 Contouring Religiosity as Third Space in Digital Media
2.8.1 Facebook as Third Space
References
3 Digital Facets of e-Religiosity
3.1 Introduction: Scopes of e-Religiosity
3.2 The Practice of e-Religion on Digital Media
3.2.1 E-Religion as ‘Networked Religion’
3.2.2 E-Religion as a ‘Third Space’
3.2.3 Digital Platforms for Religious Practices
3.2.4 Rituals of e-Religion
3.2.5 ‘Transfer of Ritual’ in Digital Age
3.2.6 ‘Rituals Online’ and ‘Online Rituals’
3.2.7 ‘Patchwork Religion’ and ‘Patchwork Ritual’
3.2.8 Emergence of ‘Virtual Communities’
3.2.9 ‘Online’ and ‘Offline’ Religious Communities
3.2.10 Digital Hajj: The Pilgrimage of Muslims
3.2.11 Pilgrimage Activities in Cyberspace
3.2.12 Live Dua (Supplication) on Facebook
3.3 E-Puja Services
3.3.1 Mapping Contours of e-Puja
3.3.2 Mapping Havans (Homams)
3.4 Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC)
Appendix A: E-Puja
Appendix B: E-Puja
References
4 Cartographies of Screenscapes
4.1 Introduction: Cartographies of e-Religiosity
4.2 Cartographies Model of Digital Gadgets
4.3 Screenscapes of Digital Gadgets
4.4 Spatial Mapping of e-Religiosity
4.4.1 Religiosity in space
4.4.2 Spaces in Religiosity
4.4.3 Places in Religiosity
4.4.4 Religiosity in Place
References
5 Digital Negotiation of e-Religiosity in India
5.1 Introduction: Negotiating Faiths
5.2 Negotiating Sacredness
5.3 E-Religiosity Through Symbols
5.4 Spaces of Screenscape
5.4.1 E-Religiosity Through Smartphones
5.4.2 E-Religiosity Through Camera
5.4.3 E-Religiosity Through Social Media Profile
5.4.4 E-Religiosity Through Desktop/Laptop
Appendix A
Appendix B
Appendix C
Commentary
References
6 Spaces of Screenscapes in India
6.1 Introduction: Spaces of Ramayana and Mahabharat
6.2 Spaces of Traditional Stereotypes
6.3 Spaces of Tweeting/Retweeting
6.4 Spaces of Cults
6.5 Spaces of Sign
6.6 Spaces of Artefacts
6.7 Spaces of Television
Appendix A: Top 10 Indian TV Serials by TRP (BARC) Ratings
Appendix B: Tweet/Re-Tweet
Tweet 1: Sona Mohapatra@sonamohapatra
Tweet 2: Mini Mathur@minimathur
References
7 Contours of Image Politics in India
7.1 Introduction: Mapping Image Politics
7.2 Spaces of Image Politics
7.3 Image Politics of Hashtag
7.3.1 Ekatvam from Tanishq
7.3.2 Jashn-e-Riwaz from FabIndia
7.3.3 Bulbul from Netflix
7.3.4 Karwa Chauth from Dabur
7.4 Spatial Mapping of Image Politics
7.4.1 Images in Public Space
7.4.2 Public Spaces in Image
7.4.3 Images in Private Place
7.4.4 Private Places in Image
References
8 Screenscapes of e-Religiosity
8.1 Introduction: Digitalization of Religiosity
8.2 E-Religiosity as Phenomena
8.3 Phenomena of e-Religiosity
Reference
Questionnaire
Bibliography
Index
