Wed 20 Dec 2006
A totally insightful and helpful book. As a student of narrative theology and narrative therapy, Campbell’s descriptions of religious community as story-based organisms relates well to my basis of thought, and helps me consider my own current analysis of blogging communities as bloggers connected by story, and creating story together. I’m thinking a lot about how members of online communities, especially bloggers, present themselves online as a product, but also a journey toward, identity construction. How a blogger sees their blog as part of the continuing story of a blogging community may be helpful in my sorting out my thoughts.
Her introductory history of Internet is concise and thorough, and provides a sound background to her research ahead. Campbell’s descriptions of religious community, and the outline of the four s of Christian community also make for the reader an easy entry into thinking about how online religious community may be led.
I’ve been thinking a lot, and have been asked to write a journal article about, the impact of online community on offline community, and Campbell’s last four chapters give me a great starting point. Definitely, I have also found that for bloggers online community can only be a supplement to offline community, but that doesn’t mean the impact is insignificant. She has confirmed my wonderings about how online community offers a sense of belonging which is “glocalised” and offers a sense of play – a safe place to explore how “real” church could be.
Finally, the author’s delving into how the participants in her study use email text to make visualisations (especially emoticons) raises my interest in the changing nature of discourse that online communication is facilitating. Emoticons, text that uniquely express emotion, are freely encouraged. It’s easier to offer someone a textual “hug” in an email than a real hug in a church service. Yet both are received with equal significance. This is one of the reasons, I think, that people conceive of online communication as far more easily intimate.
Technorati tags: Heidi Campbell, online religion.
January 8th, 2007 at 13:09
“This is one of the reasons, I think, that people conceive of online communication as far more easily intimate.”
Unfortunately I totally agree with this comment. Living in Church community nearly all of my life I feel it is far easier to be intimate, say, here than it is there. This however, is totally the opposite to how most people in church walls would perceive themselves or want to be pereceived. If we’re talking about Christian churches, this also is not how I believe Jesus himself would want the church to be perceived, it is a result of 100′s of years of people’s religious attitudes that has separated religion from true Christianity and the results are showing in your study. My belief is that a Christian community can be as intimate offline as online but they / we, need to break through the religious barrier.
January 8th, 2007 at 14:42
Great comment, Glenn. I don’t mean to reduce your sentiments or bypass your intent here, but I’m drawn to your use of words – especially the difference between religion and true Christianity. I think you and I are part of a growing set of entire generations who see organised religion as only a barrier to real faith, and that older generations’ view of religious community as too structured, too organised, to promote any real communication.