Theoretical approaches in digital religion studies

This chapter provides an overview of theoretical frameworks employed to study digital religion from the beginning of the field in the 1990s to its current theoretical developments and possible future directions. It is divided in four parts: first, it explores four waves of digital religion studies and the definitions used to describe religion and the Internet; second, it presents the three theoretical frameworks of mediation, mediatization, and religious-social shaping of technology; third, it describes some of the recently developed theories in the field (third spaces, hypermediation, mediatized religious design, religious digital creatives, and the technological apologetic); and fourth, it reflects on the possible future directions of the field, highlighting the need to focus on global perspectives, sociocultural issues connected with religion, and the development of new platforms and technologies.