Miriam Diez Bosch
Josep Lluís Micó
Josep Maria Carbonell (eds.)
School of Communication and International Relations Blanquerna
Universitat Ramon Llull
Barcelona, 2015
With support from
The research leading to this book has been made possible thanks to l’Obra Social “la Caixa”
Facultat de Comunicació i Relacions Internacionals Blanquerna
Plaça Joan Coromines s/n. Barcelona 08001
Tel. 93 253 31 08. http://blanquerna.edu/fcc
Primera edició: octubre 2015
Drets d’edició: Facultat de Comunicació i Relacions Internacionals Blanquerna. Universitat Ramon Llull
ISBN: 978-84-944764-0-2
Dipósit Legal: B.25.504-2015
Table of Contents / Índex
Preface
Notes on the contributors
Theological Construction of ‘Communitas’
Language, Otherness and Enablement of Human Bonds. Ethical Primacy of the Other in the Era of Communication
Social Media and Religion. New Ways of Engaging and Sharing in Catholicism
“The Smartest Way to Study the Word”: Protestant and Catholic Approaches to the Digital Bible
Nigerian Catholics and Muslims in the Digital Sphere: Differences and Similarities in their Sense of Community Shaping
Islam and Virtual Reality. How Muslims in Spain Live in the Cyberspace
On-Line Judaism: Potential & Limits
Religious information in the digital era. Sources, influencers, religious celebrities?
How Catholicism could benefit from Digital Journalism
Miriam Díez
Josep Lluís Micó
Josep Maria Carbonell
Negotiating visibility is an active movement towards legitimization. And religions are not exempt from legitimization if they are to endure in these new digital times where competitors battle to fill the intersection between the sacred and the secular.
The initial discomfort among the religious with digital challenges dissipated rapidly when they understood two essential aspects of the new scenario. One was that their people (the faithful) filled the virtual space in imaginative and very creative ways. Religious leaders discovered that their faithful were perhaps not present at their mosques, synagogues, temples or churches, but they surely were on Internet 24/7. And they were there on the internet, engaging, praying, searching for information, sharing thoughts, pictures, ideas…
Secondly, they realised that religious marketing is a fact and it is not a minor dimension linked to new religions born in the most recent decades. The exposure of spiritual life to the digital market affected and still affects all religions. And how the answer is measured is the key: being more articulated, creative, imaginative and innovated is the answer to the new digital challenges. Being more attractive, useful and positive is the benefit that religious communities could gain. The clue is in service and influence, and not only in terms of hard power.
In an analog world, visibility was one of the main pillars of religion. Cities and villages were easily identified by religious signs or monuments as the incarnation of the spiritual power. In past centuries, differences between people due to class, working conditions or roles were also determined by religion. External religious signs were powerful and made the difference. Today, signs are back in the negotiation of religious visibility and sometimes exert more power than in the past. But, nowadays this visibility is through new channels. The capacity coming from religious brands to generate an identity that is coherent with their mission is a task that corporate communication teams handle. But it would be a mistake to externalize this and think that religious organizations need PR to better do their job and forget that the job they must do first is be what they are called to be. After that, they must organize actions, prayers, cults, ceremonies, social and charity actions…
Brand ability to generate engagement and presence could definitely not be reduced to certain sophisticated innovative techniques or strategies. It has to be a core part of the organizational culture. And if they would like to guarantee a percentage of visibility on the Net, religions today need to compete and happily be there with new ideas and proposals. Focusing on this intuition of communities and visibility of religion, this volume offers the work of scholars, technology experts, sociologists of religion, journalists, historians and theologians.
This volume is the result of collective work as part of the Grant Programme for Research Aristos Campus Mundus 2015 1st Edition which has united scholars from various parts of the world under the RECO Project (Religious Communities Online. How An Online Community is Built), with the active participation of other universities like Comillas and Deusto.
The book begins with a theoretical framework and starts with the theological construction of “communitas” where professor Aparicio analyses common elements that unite Semitic traditions by drawing on the anthropological dimensions which help create the idea of community.
In a second chapter, Rafael Luciani uses a philosophical approach in “Language, Otherness and Enablement of Human Bonds. Ethical Primacy of the Other in the Era of Communication” to recall how media can forge human relationships based on reciprocal solidarity and creative freedom.
Valladares and Herrera go directly to “Social Media and Religion. New Ways of Engaging and Sharing in Catholicism” by showing how the presence of Catholic groups in social networks is articulated, shared and presented as a new way of being digital and evangelize at the same time.
In his chapter, Tim Hutchings explores the emerging marketplace of digital Bible software for Protestant and Catholic audiences. Using four case studies —a Bible app, an app for children, and two Bible study packages— he demonstrates the ways in which marketing rhetoric, imagery and software design can be used to shape products to meet the theological and practical requirements of different religious communities.
In “Islam and virtual reality. How Muslims in Spain live in the Cyberspace”, Marín explores the limitations of the virtual Umma and highlights the paradoxes of being Muslim in cyberspace. He also presents typologies of sites, most of them devoted to the Dawa or missionary invitation to conversion.
Ikherija illustrates how Islam and Catholicism in Africa, particularly in Nigeria, differ when approaching digital media and not only in their use of pictures and images. In “Nigerian Catholics and Muslims in the Digital Sphere: Differences and Similarities in their Sense of Community Shaping” he takes the Facebook case as an example.
Judaism is covered by Professor Cohen in his chapter where Virtual Synagogues, Judaism and Law on the Internet are thoroughly detailed. Yoel Cohen explores concepts like the religious prohibition of social gossip (loshon hara) in the Internet Age, privacy threats, copyright protection, the organization of online religious services and the expression of God in the Facebook Age.
María José Pou writes the chapter “Religious Information in the Digital Era. Sources, Influencers, Religious Celebrities?” in which she outlines examples on credibility and sources. Pou reminds us of the importance of authority and interactivity as concerns religion in the new social profiles.
Finally, Albert Saéz is interested in discovering opportunities for the Catholic Church offered by new social platforms. In “How Catholicism Could Benefit from Digital Journalism”, he offers a view on already successful cases which could possibly be multiplied if attention is paid to the proximity between the new journalistic mentality and religious communities.
Aparicio Malo, José Manuel. Professor, Department of Moral Spirituality and Praxis and Christian Life. Faculty of Theology. Comillas. Pontifical University, Madrid. Aparicio´s research interests include migration, human rights and social morals; in particular, the relationship between religion and these issues. He is a member of the Faculty of Theology and he also works at the Institute of Migration Studies at the same University where he collaborates on research for the FRA (European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights) regarding the relationship between religion, migration and current events. He has published a significant number of articles in theological reviews. For his most recent publication, he collaborated with the UNIJES research group on Catholic Social Morality and the Encyclical Caritas in Veritate: J. Sols (ed.) Pensamiento social cristiano abierto al siglo XXI, Sal Terrae, Santander 2014. <jmaparicio@comillas.edu>
Carbonell Abelló, Josep Maria. Dean of Blanquerna School of Communication and International Relations (Ramon Llull University, Barcelona) since 2010 where he has taught political science and media studies since 1996. Academic Visitor at the CSLS (PCMPL), University of Oxford, (2010). Deputy Assistant to the President of the Country Council of Barcelona (1987-1995), Member of the Parliament of Catalonia (1996-2005), President of CAC (Catalan Audiovisual Council) (2005-2009). President of Fundació Joan Maragall. President of RIRM (Mediterranean Network of Regulatory Bodies of Media) (2007-08). <josepmca@blanquerna.url.edu>
Cohen, Yoel. Associate Professor, School of Communication, Ariel University, Israel. Yoel Cohen has done extensive work on media and religion in Israel, Judaism, and religious news. In addition, he does research on international communication and defence and the media. His publications include God, Jews & the Media: Religion & Israel’s Media (2012), Whistleblowers and the Bomb: Vanunu, Israel and Nuclear Secrecy (2005), and Media Diplomacy: the Foreign Office in the Mass Communication Age (1986). His research has appeared in the Journal of Media & Religion, Encyclopaedia of Religion, Communication & Media; Gazette; Encyclopaedia Judaica; and the International Handbook of Media & Mass Communication Theory. He is the convenor of the Religion, Communication & Culture working group under the International Association of Media & Communication Research (IAMCR). <ysrcohen@netvision.net.il>
Diez Bosch, Miriam. Director of the Blanquerna Observatory on Media, Religion and Culture in Barcelona. Professor Díez is also the Expert Director at the portal Aleteia.org, in Rome. She holds a PhD in Social Science (Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome, where she was a Lecturer in Journalism Studies). She has been the Project Coordination of Riseci.eu (Religion in the Shaping of European Cultural Identity). She is currently a Professor of Communication Theory in the International Relations degree programme at the Blanquerna School of Communication and International Relations (Ramon Llull University, Barcelona). <miriamdb@blanquerna.url.edu>
Herrera Damas, Susana. Ph.D. in Journalism, Full Professor at the University Carlos III of Madrid. Her research interests include journalism ethics and the use of networks by different institutions, especially as this relates to their community engagement. Along with Professor Valladares, she is co-author of a book on how Catholic institutions can take advantage of Twitter to improve their evangelization. <dherrera@hum.uc3m.es>
Hutchings, Tim. Postdoctoral Researcher in the department of Media Studies at Stockholm University, Sweden. He is a member of the Existential Terrains research programme which is a collaborative study of death, dying and digital media. Tim is a sociologist of religion, media and culture with a particular interest in digital Christianity, and his previous work has included studies of online churches, evangelism and video storytelling, digital pilgrimage apps and Bible software. His work on digital Bibles has been published in Religion, Media and Social Change (2015), The Future of Education and Society (2015) and the journal Studies in Religion. A complete list of publications can be found online at https://su-se.academia.edu/TimHutchings. He is the Editor of the Journal of Religion, Media and Digital Culture (www.jrmdc.com). <timothy.hutchings@ims.su.se>
Ihejirika, Walter C. Senior Lecturer of communication studies at the Federal University of Port Harcourt. He is one of the leading scholars in the field of media religion and culture on the African continent and has written extensively on various topics in this field. He was guest editor of the Africa Communication Research and Politics and Religion journals for their special issues dealing with media and religion in Africa. His other research interests are in the areas of development communication and the use of the new information and communication technologies, especially by young people. His publications include From Catholicism to Pentecostalism: The Role of Nigerian Televangelists in Religious Conversion (2006); The e-Priest: The Identity of the Catholic Priest in the Digital Age (2011). His research work has been published in the Media and Development, Politics and Religion Journal, Journal of African Media Studies and the African Communication Research. He is the Vice-President of Signis-Africa, the Catholic Association for Communication. <walter.ihejirika@uniport.edu.ng>
Luciani, Rafael. Director of the School of Theology and coordinator of the creation of the theology area under the general graduate studies programme at the Jesuit University Andrés Bello. He holds a Doctorate in Theology and a Licentiate Degree in Dogmatic Theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University of Rome; a Baccalaureate in Philosophy and a Baccalaureate in Theology from the Pontifical Salesian University of Rome; and a Licentiate Degree in Education (specialising in philosophy) from the Jesuit`s Catholic University Andrés Bello in Caracas. He has been involved for several years in postdoctoral research activities at the Julius-Maximilians Universität in Würzburg, Germany. He is currently working as Visiting Professor at Boston College (MA). Some of his most recommendable books include: La Palabra olvidada: de la significación a la simbolización (1997), Hermeneutics and Theology in Sobrino`s Christology (2008), Iglesia y Estado (2013), and his most recent bestseller Al estilo de Jesús (2015).
<rafluciani@gmail.com>
Marín, Francesc-Xavier. Professor, Blanquerna School of Communication and International Relations (Universitat Ramon Llull, Barcelona). He is the principal researcher for “Identity and Intercultural Dialogue”. He works in the field of Islamic theology and African philosophy as well as intercultural dialogue. He is a member of the Religious Diversity Council of the Generalitat de Catalunya. <xaviermt@blanquerna.url.edu>
Micó Sanz, Josep Lluís. Journalism Professor and Vice-Dean at the Blanquerna School of Communication and International Relations (Ramon Llull University, Barcelona). He served as Director of the Journalism degree programme, of the Advanced Reporting master’s degree programme at Blanquerna-Godó, the Fashion 080 MA and of the Master’s Degree in Sports Journalism Blanquerna-FC Barcelona. The Director of the Digilab (Media Strategy and Regulation) Research Group and a Project Coordinator for several research projects, he has published more than 10 books on media and technology. He is a Senior Analyst in Digital, Print and Broadcast Media. <joseplluisms@blanquerna.url.edu>
Pou-Amérigo, M. José. Professor of journalism at Cardenal Herrera-CEU University (Valencia) and a columnist for Las Provincias. She teaches Journalistic Writing, Religious Journalism and Journalism & Law. Her research interests focus on discourse analysis related to intercultural and interfaith communication, cyber journalism, and mass media and environmental awareness. She has published Catholic Foundations in Journalistic Discourse (2013); The Green Pope or the Environmentalist Leadership of Benedict XVI (2012), Intercultural Questions about Origins and Religions in Journalistic Humour (2011); Catholics in the Public Opinion. The Italian Case (2008) and Religious Fact and its Journalistic Treatment: Limits and Difficulties (2008). <mpou@uch.ceu.es>
Sáez i Casas, Albert. Associate Professor of theBlanquerna School of Communication and International Relations (Ramon Llull University, Barcelona). He holds a doctorate in Communication from Ramon Llull University and is a professor of sociology of communication at the Faculty of Communication Blanquerna, where he was also once Vice-Dean. He is the primary researcher for the project Strategy and Issues Management in Corporate Communication and Public Relations as part of the research group Digilab-Media, Strategy and Regulation. Formerly the Vice-Rector of the Ramon Llull University Commission on the Adaptation to the European Higher Education Area, he was Secretary of Media on the Council of Culture and Media from the end of 2006 until January 2007 and President of the Government Council of the Catalan Corporation of Audiovisual Media (CCMA) between 2008 and 2010. He is currently Vice-Editor of El Periódico. His most recent book is entitled Journalism after Twitter which won the Joan Fuster 2014 prize. He is now doing research about the relationship between journalism and social media. <albertsc@blanquerna.url.edu>
Valladares Paguaga, Xiskya. Ph. D., Professor of the Department of Communication CESAG-Mallorca. Her research interests include digital evangelization and the use of social networks in religious communication. She serves as Director of the CESAG Communication Office and also as Editor of the Mater Purissima magazine. She has spoken at numerous conferences and training sessions on these issues, and is co-founder of a digital evangelization project called iMisión. <xvalladares@cesag.org>