Review Article From Traditional Communities To Virtual Communities: A Compilation on the Representation of Religion in Virtual Media

Abstract

Especially since the 90s, the presence of the internet in every aspect of our lives has brought new social organizations in the virtual environment. The continuous exposure of individuals to data and information through mobile phones, tablets, mobile and wearable devices has caused many of our values, beliefs and habits to change and transform in our daily lives. It is impossible for our religious beliefs and values ​​not to be affected by these changes and transformations. Particularly, Abrahamic religions have taken on an interactive structure with the internet, after passive interaction such as television and radio. With the transfer of religion and the religious to the internet environment, traditional community organizations have gained representation in the virtual environment on the one hand, and on the other hand, they have continued their existence in the digital age. These new forms of organization offered by the virtual environment have attracted the attention of researchers in recent years and have been the subject of research in different disciplines, like media, sociology, psychology and political science.

This study aims to contribute to the literature and discussions by addressing the effects of the change in communication technologies on religious beliefs, attitudes and habits within the framework of the digitalization-religion relationship. The study is prepared with the argumentative discussion method. The research begins by revealing how virtual communities emerged and the stages through which they took their current form. Then, it is explained how the concepts of time and space transform as the limitations of geographical areas, distances and temporal boundaries disappear. The implications of identity and privacy were evaluated as a result of individuals displaying fictional and idealized selves instead of their real selves in the virtual environment, where privacy invasions are extremely common. In the case of Turkey, virtual religious communities that are formed on the basis of arguments such as uniting the masses with Allah and endearing Islam to people have been discussed in various contexts, addressing controversies surrounding the contradiction of members' religious beliefs or the experience of practicing an unfulfilled religion.