Digital religions

Course objectives

The course aims to: - provide students with a critical understanding of the relationship between religion and digital technologies in contemporary societies; - analyze how religious practices are transformed within the context of new media, with a focus on the reorganization of faith communities online, the redefinition of religious authority, and the experience of the sacred; - examine the influence of social media on the construction of new religious identities; - introduce theoretical and methodological tools, particularly digital ethnography, for conducting empirical research in virtual environments; - explore how religious communities use digital platforms (social networks, apps, streaming services) to develop new personalized forms of religious practice and participation; - address key ethical and cultural challenges emerging from the digitalization of religion, including the reinterpretation of sacred texts, the spread of misinformation, and the use of artificial intelligence in spiritual contexts; - develop the ability to critically analyze how religion adapts, transforms, and is reinterpreted in post-secular societies.

Channel 1
ALESSANDRA VITULLO Lecturers' profile

Program - Frequency - Exams

Course program
The course aims to guide students through a critical and reflective exploration of the complex relationship between religion and digital technologies. It will analyze how religious practices are being transformed in the context of new media, examining how faith communities reorganize themselves online, how religious authority evolves, and to what extent social media influence the construction of spiritual identity. The course will provide students with theoretical and methodological tools—particularly digital ethnography—to conduct empirical research in virtual environments. It will explore how religious communities make use of social networks, streaming platforms, and mobile apps to create new, personalized forms of religious practice. The course will also address the ethical and cultural challenges emerging from this rapidly changing landscape, including the reinterpretation of religious messages, misinformation, and the use of artificial intelligence in spiritual contexts. By the end of the course, students will have acquired both theoretical and methodological tools to understand how religion adapts to, transforms within, and is reinterpreted in the contemporary postsecular societies.
Prerequisites
None
Books
Vitullo, A. (2021), I religionauti, studiare l'homo religiosus al tempo del web. Morcelliana Campbell, H. (2010). When religion meets new media. Routledge.
Teaching mode
Frontal lessons
Exam mode
Final Oral examination, with the presentation of a project to be discussed with the teacher.
Lesson mode
Frontal lessons
  • Lesson code10616852
  • Academic year2025/2026
  • CourseCultures and Religions
  • CurriculumCulture e religioni antiche e moderne
  • Year2nd year
  • Semester1st semester
  • SSDINF/01
  • CFU6