Lee Gilmore discusses in one of his readings the idea of "Web2.0" which is "...to refer to explicitly interactive and participatory applications of internet technologies such as open source programming, user generated content, social networks and 'blogs'..." (O'Rielly 2005)
Facebook, Twitter and Youtube are easily a part of the Web2.0 category and even this site: blogger.com demonstrates "...how individuals are utilising this interactivity to create and reflect community..." (Gilmore p. 38)
The following video looks at how religious figures are using social media.
This video answers how the "religious story" can be updated to appeal to contemporary audiences. Also how in Gilmores reading, he uses the idea coined by Henry Jenkins who came up with the notions of media convergence and participatory culture where "...old and new media collide [...] and the role of media producer and media consumer interact in unpredictable ways..." (Jenkins 2006)
Social networking sites allow for the detraditionalisation of the traditional forms of authority allowing for participants to no longer find information through the usual channels like actually going to Church.
http://www.facebook.com/JesusDaily
On Twitter, the Dalai Lama has 4,252,277 followers. His tweets are about where he will be, what he will be doing and also words of wisdom and enlightenment.
HuffPost Religion is another group that can be followed on Twitter. they are a wide-ranging group that shares discussions about religion, spirituality, and the ways they influence our lives. The tweets on this page vary in their topics and range from being theological to ideological
Youtube allows for users to upload and share visual/audio content online. Religious and spiritual groups have used this platform also to engage with participants.
"Welcome to the Muslim - Christian Dialogue Channel on Youtube, I hope that you will find this channel a friendly place to visit, a comfortable place to talk with your friends, and a challenging place to think about your faith."
"In this Channel you can link to a wide variety of Muslim - Christian debates, lectures, dialogues and personal testimonies of Converts to Islam, you may be frustrated or aggravated by some of them because a few are quite confrontational, but they all stimulate discussion and dialogue."
Another channel that was shown in the social media video was the Vatican channel on Youtube.
"This channel offers news coverage of the main activities of the Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI and of relevant Vatican events."http://www.youtube.com/user/vatican?feature=results_main
No comments:
Post a Comment