Sazetak

Abstract:

A significant agent in shaping perceptions of religious values and practices are conventional and online media. The media is also considered to be one of the factors that influenced the secularization of European societies in the 20th century. The role of the media in religion and the religious is not new to the digital age, since the media have been used for centuries to represent and spread religious views. Yet in the digital age, the relationship between religion and the media is being transformed. The media are not only a means of mediating religious messages and symbols, they are interpreters that situate the religious in a capitalist, secular context. The media representation of religion also influences the transformation of the role of religious institutions and practices in contemporary society. With the expansion of online media, there is growing concern that the media may distance religous people from institutionalized religion (Campbell and Calderon, 2007). The paper questions the consequences of the media representation of religion in digital society. The focus is on the relocating religious authorities in the digital environment, as well as on hybridizing religious and secular symbols in media formats, and adapting the spiritual values to market imperatives of the media industry.

Key words: religion mediation, digital media, transformation, spectacularization