ABSTRACT

Despite sometimes well-supported claims about the growing secularization of society, religion remains embedded in the media and cultures of everyday Western life. Religious figures and issues attract substantial interest in news media. Religious debates generate considerable interest through interactive media such as online discussion forums and blogs. Entertainment media continue to represent traditional religious figures and narratives in a variety of ways ranging from the reverent to the ironic, as well as addressing alternative spiritual traditions and broader forms of the supernatural. The rise of new media, and cheaper forms of media production and distribution, have supported the growth of a range of niche religious media including film, popular music, and educational materials. The internet, and other mobile communications technology, have also provided new opportunities for religious communication and the development of religious networks spread over wide geographical areas. Religious lifestyle media and products (which in mass-produced forms, date back well into the nineteenth century) have continued to evolve with the emergence of new religious lifestyle magazines and branded religious drinks, games, clothing and jewellery.