ABSTRACT
The extent to which traditional and institutional patterns of authority are reflected, reinforced and/or challenged in online settings of social interaction is a question of interest among many who study religion online. Web 2.0 applications, such as blogs, carry with them the promise of creating democratizing space, where anyone with access to online media production may have an equal voice on the Web. However, some users’ voices in the blogosphere are considered more authoritative than others, especially since search engines like Google and Technorati have come to measure the perceived performance of authority online. This raises important issues of how the blogosphere shapes religious discourse and authority.
