The Effects of Digital Culture and New Media on Religious Identity in The Postmodern Age: The Case of Türkiye

Abstract

Postmodernism emerged as a reaction to the intellectual thought and values of the new modern era, particularly as modernist orientations reached an impasse. Critiquing various aspects of modernism, the concept of postmodernism has gained even greater significance in the contemporary era under the influence of digitalization. It embraces online existence, globalization, objective reality, hyperrealist movements, and, broadly, digital culture. With the impact of digital culture, religious life, teachings, tendencies, and practices have increasingly shifted to virtual platforms, and beliefs are progressively integrated into cyberspace. This study aims to discuss the influence of digital culture and new media on the processes of religious identity formation among individuals in Turkey during the postmodern era. Employing a literature review, the research highlights the digitalization of society, culture, and religion and their significant effects on individuals' religious experiences and identities. Consequently, it seeks to expand discussions within the postmodernism-Islam-digitalization triangle. The analysis underscores how the blurring boundaries between the virtual and the real have led to virtual reality encompassing all aspects of life, fostering the integration of religious identities into digital culture.

Keywords

• dijital din
• dijital kültür
• dini kimlik
• postmodernizm
• yeni medya
• digital culture
• digital religion
• new media
• religious identity
• postmodernism