ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a detailed investigation and documentation of a mediascape that examines not only the flow of a diaspora religious tradition through these digital networks but also assesses the impact of this flow on the people that engage with it. It also analyses the modifications and transformations that occur in religious activities as they are digitized and engaged through Internet networks. However, the online representations of Virtual Tibet are not focused as much on the traditional land as they are focused on maintaining the tradition and Tibetan identity itself. Within Virtual Tibet, the locus and center maintaining the network is the Dalai Lama. In the case of Virtual Tibet, co-location occurs in a three-step process that begins online with a ritual activity that is perceived by the community to work. The chapter argues that the development of the Internet has created a new form of connectedness within the Tibetan diaspora.
