Open research questions in Media, Religion, Digital Communication

What the literature leaves open

• The need to integrate technological mastery with prophetic communication.

  Algorithmic-Adaptive Islamic Communication Strategy: Building Hybrid and Ideological Resilience through Palestinian Solidarity Narratives · 2026 · DOI

• The need to reconcile normative principles with digital platform logic.

  Algorithmic-Adaptive Islamic Communication Strategy: Building Hybrid and Ideological Resilience through Palestinian Solidarity Narratives · 2026 · DOI

• Future research can explore the long-term implications of virtual spirituality for Islamic civilization. The study's findings can inform the development of immersive technology-based models of Islamic worship and education.

  Prostrating in The Cloud: Faith, Identity, and the New Frontiers of Islamic Civilization · 2026 · DOI

• The lack of understanding of how robots are actually being used in religious institutions. The lack of analysis of the implications of robots for the future of religion.

  Bounded Ritual Automation: Buddhist Robots, Sacred Presence, and the Limits of Delegation in East Asia · 2026 · DOI

• Religious leaders and institutions should develop clearer digital communication strategies that emphasize truth, restraint, and responsible public witness. Churches, mosques, and faith-based organizations should invest in digital literacy for clergy, youth, and online communicators so that religious messaging remains effective and ethically grounded.

  Digital Faith Engagement: A Necessity for Missiological Relevance in the Age of Social Media and Bridge to Religious Polarization in Nigeria · 2026 · DOI

• Christian leaders and institutions in Nigeria should develop intentional strategies for incorporating digital technologies into their practices and programmes. This integration should prioritize the preservation and transmission of Christian values, while also acknowledging the potential challenges associated with digitalization.

  Implications of Digitalization for the Preservation and Transmission of Christian Values · 2026 · DOI

• Future studies can explore the impact of social media on the spiritual lives of priests' followers. Future research can investigate the role of social media in shaping the public perception of religion. Future studies can examine the effectiveness of different social media strategies for religious institutions.

  Priests as Social Media Influencers? A Study on the Lived Experiences of Select Bulacan Clergy’s Engagement in Social Media · 2026 · DOI

• The study recognizes the need to explore the motivations, strategies, and challenges of priests as digital content creators.

  Priests as Social Media Influencers? A Study on the Lived Experiences of Select Bulacan Clergy’s Engagement in Social Media · 2026 · DOI

• Based on the findings of this research, the following are recommended: (1) In education, it is necessary to develop a critical digital literacy curriculum that is integrated across study programs, with Washathiyah values as drawn from the Islamic scholarly tradition concerning tabayyun, tawazun, and maqashid serving as the epistemological framework, not merely as a branding label.

  GLOBAL COMMUNICATION ETHICS AND DIGITAL LITERACY: BUILDING A MODERATE VIRTUAL LEARNING SPACE IN THE CYBER ERA · 2026 · DOI

• The development of AI has brought fundamental change to human life while presenting complex ethical challenges. The ethical challenges of AI are not merely technical in dimension, but also touch a deeper realm: religious values, religious moderation, and social harmony.

  ETHICS OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE FROM A HADITH PERSPECTIVE: AFFIRMING MORAL RESPONSIBILITY AS THE FOUNDATION OF RELIGIOUS MODERATION IN THE DIGITAL ERA · 2026 · DOI

• It highlights the need to balance religious values with compassionate and inclusive approaches.

  Humanizing Islamic Legal Discourse in the Digital Public Space: A Maqāṣid Perspective of Buya Yahya’s Fatwas on LGBT · 2026 · DOI

• Future research can explore the impact of digital fatwas on religious attitudes and behaviors. It can also examine the potential of digital media in promoting legal humanism in other contexts.

  Humanizing Islamic Legal Discourse in the Digital Public Space: A Maqāṣid Perspective of Buya Yahya’s Fatwas on LGBT · 2026 · DOI

• The phenomenon of echo chambers can limit critical thinking, strengthen prejudices, reduce openness to different viewpoints, and hinder constructive dialogue. The digital space may become a place of polarization rather than mutual understanding if not addressed. There is a need to develop a spiritualitas dialog that can foster openness, mutual listening, respect, and fraternity amid diversity.

  Echo Chamber dan Spiritualitas Dialog Katekis dalam Terang Fratelli Tutti · 2026 · DOI

• There is a need to examine the phenomenon of echo chambers in relation to the spirituality of catechetical dialogue.

  Echo Chamber dan Spiritualitas Dialog Katekis dalam Terang Fratelli Tutti · 2026 · DOI

• The lack of understanding of the use of AI in spiritual contexts. The need to explore the implications of AI systems on users' experiences.

  Value-Sensitive AI for Prayer: Balancing the Agencies Between Human and AI Agents in Spiritual Context · 2026 · DOI

• The research highlights the need to investigate how theological meaning is negotiated online.

  Negotiating Islamic Authority in Digital Public Space: Audience Contestation of Ustaz Evie Effendi’s “Misguided Prophet” Lecture on YouTube · 2026 · DOI

• The lack of a critical framework for understanding piety as a cultural phenomenon. The need to explore the relationship between religion, gender, and media in the digital age.

  Performing Piety in the Digital Sphere: Framing and Visual Mediation in Hawaariyyun’s Islamic Content · 2026 · DOI

• The study highlights the need for a comprehensive understanding of the impact of the internet on young people.

  YOSHLARNING INTERNET VA IJTIMOIY TARMOQLARDAN FOYDALANISH MADANIYATI: IJTIMOIY-FALSAFIY TAHLIL · 2026 · DOI

• Future studies are encouraged to empirically examine how wisdom-based ethical frameworks can be institutionalized. Future research can explore the application of the paper's model in diverse socio-legal contexts.

  Wisdom in the Digital Era: Bridging Human Rights, Indonesian Cyber Law, and Progressive Fiqh · 2026 · DOI

• The gap is the lack of a model that integrates human rights law, Indonesian cyber law, and Progressive Fiqh.

  Wisdom in the Digital Era: Bridging Human Rights, Indonesian Cyber Law, and Progressive Fiqh · 2026 · DOI

• The field should pursue interdisciplinary research uniting theology, pedagogy, ethics, and computer science. Research should focus on the conditions under which AI aligns with the Church's vision of relational, incarnational, and communal learning. The paper suggests that AI could be employed for translation, personalized Scripture study, immersive historical simulations, and adaptive catechetical exercises.

  The role of artificial intelligence in Catholic religious education: a tool for engagement, not a substitute for human presence · 2026 · DOI

• The study notes that the representation of religiosity in Russian TV series may be influenced by the current social and political context. The paper suggests that the lack of interest in the topic of women's religiosity in recent Russian TV productions may be a limitation.

  Czy kobietom potrzebna jest jeszcze religia O wizerunku kobiety (nie)wierzącej we współczesnych serialach rosyjskich. · 2026 · DOI

• The paper argues that AI must be guided by a robust theological framework that centers human dignity, communal formation, and the ontological vocation of learners.

  The role of artificial intelligence in Catholic religious education: a tool for engagement, not a substitute for human presence · 2026 · DOI

• The study suggests further empirical research on how Hamka's pedagogy can be applied within youth communities. It also suggests examining the implementation of Digital Neo-Humanism in real-world settings.

  Transforming Buya Hamka’s Humanist Da'wah: Addressing Gen Z’s Moral Challenges in Social Media · 2026 · DOI

• The study identifies a gap in addressing moral issues of Generation Z on social media through Islamic thought. It aims to fill this gap by introducing a novel framework called Digital Neo-Humanism.

  Transforming Buya Hamka’s Humanist Da'wah: Addressing Gen Z’s Moral Challenges in Social Media · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Media, Religion, Digital Communication

• Heresies and sacred cows in scholarly marketing publications · Journal of Business Research · 2015 · 254 citations
• Understanding the Relationship between Religion Online and Offline in a Networked Society · Journal of the American Academy of Religion · 2011 · 202 citations
• “Praise the Lord”: Popular cinema and pentecostalite style in Ghana's new public sphere · American Ethnologist · 2004 · 196 citations
• The mediatisation of religion: Theorising religion, media and social change · Culture and Religion · 2011 · 193 citations
• The Prince and the Phone Booth: Reporting Puzzling Beliefs · The Journal of Philosophy · 1989 · 181 citations
• Cultured Technology: The Internet and Religious Fundamentalism · The Information Society · 2005 · 162 citations
• Like a camera in the sky? Thinking about God increases public self-awareness and socially desirable responding · Journal of Experimental Social Psychology · 2011 · 151 citations
• Ritual, Sanctity, and Cybernetics1 · American Anthropologist · 1971 · 142 citations
• Mediating ethnography: objectivity and the making of ethnographies of the internet · Social Epistemology · 2004 · 134 citations
• Religion and the media turn: A review essay · American Ethnologist · 2010 · 133 citations

Most recent work

• Mindful travel in the digital age: How immersive technology transforms value-driven well-being into brand evangelism · Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services · 2026
• Africa’s clicks to faith: digital religious practices among transnational Nigerian and Zimbabwean youth in the diaspora · Ethnic and Racial Studies · 2026
• Mystical experiences in virtual reality. · Psychology of Consciousness: Theory, Research, and Practice · 2026
• Digital Mediation and Fatwa Authority in Contemporary Islam: A Critical Islamic Legal and Media-Theoretical Framework · Religions · 2026
• AI and Generative Charisma in Religious Practices · Religions · 2026
• Digital religion in platform societies: authority, mediation, and social cohesion in algorithmic publics (2010–2025) · Frontiers in Sociology · 2026
• The Adaptation of the Catholic Religion to the Digital World: Study on Innovation Processes in Religion · SAGE Open · 2026
• Mediatization of Indonesian Islam: A Historical Examination of Media and Religious Change · Religions · 2026
• Artificial Intelligence and Interreligious Dialogue: Emerging Implications for Faith-Based Organizations · Religions · 2026
• Grace and Community in the Age of AI: A Wesleyan-Theological Dialogue on Digital Technology and Religious Education · Religious Education · 2026

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