A Qualitative Study of Digital Religious Influence: Perspectives from Christian, Hindu, and Muslim Gen Y and Gen Z in Mumbai, India

Research output: Contribution to JournalArticleAcademicpeer-review

Abstract

This study addresses how religious affective content in digital media influences
epistemic authority, social imaginaries, and religious beliefs. It draws on data from 64 indepth interviews with Generation Y and Generation Z individuals with a higher-education
background who identified as Christian, Muslim, or Hindu, conducted in Mumbai, India.
While influencers are increasingly playing a significant role in the daily lives of the respondents, the impact of family on religious behavior appears to be more substantial than the
epistemic sources on social media. In this context, accrued social capital can help individuals develop resilience or resistance to online disinformation, hate speech, and radicalization.
Furthermore, while individuals exhibited animosity toward politicians and journalists, they
also expressed nationalist attitudes, e.g., a shared Indian identity and common cultural
capital, which may serve as ‘superglue’ for living peacefully in the current climate shaped
by religious fundamentalist movements. In general, this field study contributes to the
ongoing scholarly growth of the interdisciplinary focus of digital religion studies, and
particularly on the impact of the social media domain on fundamentalist beliefs.
Original languageEnglish
Article number16-73
Pages (from-to)1-24
Number of pages24
JournalReligions
Volume16
Issue number73
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 13 Jan 2025

Funding

European Research Council

FundersFunder number
Not added851613

    Keywords

    • mumbai; religion; fundamentalist beliefs; social media; epistemic authority

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