ABSTRACT
In this chapter Simon Barrow examines the relationships between institutional, inherited religions and the rise of the internet-based new media. While the media has adapted to fast-changing technologies, religious institutions have not necessarily made the best available use of the platforms available to them. What once used to happen in private, such as debates, synods or assemblies, is now public knowledge. Barrow argues that religious institutions must respond to a globalised world, which is driven by communication and market imperatives.
The rise of social networking and participant-orientated media necessitate good public relations, and there is a need to rephrase, explain, revise, reposition and recapitulate ‘traditional’ ways of thinking and speaking. Religious bodies need to contradict the extremes, which are so often posited in the media, as well as rejecting the labels and stereotypes, which the media force upon them. Barrow suggests that it is only through engagement with the media that a different style and fresh content will change the way in which religion is reported in the news.
