At the Digital Altar: Social Media Missionaries and New Dynamics of Religious Authority

Abstract

Social media influencing is a novel phenomenon which has no exact analogue prior to the advent of personal computer and smartphone technology. However, throughout history, women have taken advantage of new forms of communication and media to harness authority they are otherwise denied, within both religious and secular contexts. When conservative Christian women take to Instagram, a photo and video sharing app, to post about their children, their morning Bible study, or the dinner they have prepared, they contribute to a digital religious community that is constantly renegotiating norms and boundaries that are well established in other religious realms, such as the physical church space. This research seeks to understand how participating in this online religious community, which lacks clearly defined guidelines and regulations for women's religious authority, allows women to access and practice a degree of religious authority they may be denied in their conservative Christian communities.