Spirituality in the Selfie Culture of Instagram
Ebook
This explorative study of personal spiritual expressions on Instagram generated important data in relation to the emerging field of cyberspirituality and showed the need for further development and research. The book reveals several forms of spirituality present on Instagram, mainly belonging to secular spirituality. Many spiritual practices emerged in posts from all over the world, demonstrated through photography as spiritual practice. The Internet--and social media in particular--present an opportunity for individuals and communities to develop spiritual narrative when communicating online, especially with young people who are more likely to express themselves as "spiritual but not religious." Spiritual authenticity on social media, as a part of building spiritual capital, is an important step.
“In this original study the author highlights how Instagram is
indeed a vehicle for spirituality, both secular and religious. She
also gives many fine suggestions for further research as well as
for how Instagram and social media in general can serve both
spiritual seekers and those offering spirituality resources. Public
space is now being defined by the smart phone, which can make it a
site of spiritual communication with the whole world in our
hands.”
—Michael O’Sullivan, SJ, Director of the Spirituality Institute for
Research and Education, Ireland
“I have known Petra Pajdakovic Sebek since her earliest
journalistic and ecumenical ventures in our native Croatia. She has
always been an original thinker and creative communicator. This
short but splendid book is about bridging sacred and secular with a
focus on our (post)modern era of cyberculture. Technology is
increasingly intertwined with religion and Sebek intimates that
with the use of Instagram we are witnessing the most dramatic
changes in the growing field of cyberspirituality.”
—Peter Kuzmic, Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary
Product Details
- Title : Spirituality in the Selfie Culture of Instagram
- Author: Sebek, Petra P.
- Publisher: Wipf and Stock
- Publication Date: 2019
- ISBN: 9781532673184
Petra P. Sebek is originally from Croatia, where she worked as a
television journalist for more than fifteen years. She was a
longtime producer and author of a weekly ecumenical and
interreligious television magazine Spiritual Challenges. She
and her family now live in Ireland, where she graduated with a
master’s in applied spirituality and continues to work as a
researcher. This is her first book, combining her interests in the
modern digital world and spirituality.