Introduction

The Introduction grounds the case study of online Catholic forums in the context of the mediatisation and individualisation of religion. The constructivist concept of mediatised worlds is presented as a useful tool to analyse how media use influences community-building and religious authority. Then, the connections between individualisation, mediatisation of religion, and changes of religious authority are emphasised as key features of the transformations of religious communities. The main arguments of the book are presented, namely that 1) online Catholic forums facilitate the emergence of online communication communities and bottom-up religious experts, 2) both processes are based on sharing religious knowledge and its interpretations, and 3) the boundaries of online religious communities are symbolic and constructed discursively. The Introduction concludes with a brief summary of the book chapters.