Week 2 - theoretical reflection

The mediatization of Religion: A Theory of the Media as Agents of Religious Change (Hjarvard 2008), Hjarvard focuses on a number of issues such as media as conduits meaning that media determines how much and what kind of attention each religion receives. Meyer determines that media as a culture is a reflection of modern society (Meyer 2012). Media culture has become such a large and independent culture unto itself that it affects the way religion is perceived. However, media, in particular television, often favors some religions over others. Hjarvard also discusses the effect on media in terms of media in languages, the many formats used by media including the distribution of sacred and non-sacred texts, Internet, radio and television. The third issue is media as environment. Where as radio and television are more personal, the internet is more "consumer orientated" (Hjarvard 2008). Different demographics will interact with these environments in which ever way is best suited to each individual. As a result, traditional institutions are less authoritative than in bygone eras with media providing and commenting on society. This leads Hjarvard to the concept of banal religions. Originally the concept of Michael Billig in reference to Banal Nationalism (Billig 1995). Banal religion is a result of the increase in media and how individuals perceive symbols and concepts of particular religions. Although generally in agreement with Hjarvard's concept, I do have some objections to the arguments used. The understanding that "religious meanings may travel unnoticed and can be evoked independently of larger religious texts or institutions". This is not a new phenomona or the result of modern media. Practically anything can evoke religious meaning ie. nature, jewellery. The meaning that is taken out of anything is completely relative to not only the individual but also relative to what others may see. Some things ie. a cross have become so entangled with the fashion world that it may not mean anything at all to the consumer except for a fashion trinket. In table 1 of the article, 'Ways of engaging in spiritual issues', the question was sed "People may have an interest in spiritual issues, including faith, folk religion, magical experiences, life and death and so on. If you are interested in such issues, how did you engage in them during the last couple of months. The possible answers to this are not detailed enough to understand the ways in which people use religion and media. For example, one possible answer was 'watch television programmes'. But what kinds of programmes is the consumer watching? Is it through religious shows such as Hillsong? Is it through news and current affairs? Is it through a popular culture programme such as a soap? Also, there was no available answer for an individual who practices their own faith in the privacy of their own home. In conclusion, Hjarvard makes some valid and important points, however this could have been better demonstrated in the article. Works Cited Hjarvard, S. "The Mediatization of Religion: A Theory of the Media as Agents of Religious Change." Northern Lights 6, no. 1 (2008: 9-26. Meyer, B. "Religious Sensations Media, Aesetics, and the Study of Contemporary Religion.". In Religion, Media and Culture: A Reader, edited by Jolyon Mitchell, Gordon Lynch and Anna Strhan, 159-170. London and New YorkRoutledge, 2012