Vienna, January 21st, 2021 (KAP) TikTok, Instagram, YouTube, Twitter & Facebook: Young people in particular not only consume these media, they often post content online themselves. But is it also about religion? How does the religious life of young people play out online and offline? The new project “Young Believers Online” – “YouBeOn” for short – of the Austrian Academy of Sciences is investigating these questions. A first preliminary answer from project leader Astrid Mattes: Faith topics are also dealt with online.
“We look at how religious young people behave in digital spaces, but also in a diverse city – specifically in Vienna – and where they say: ‘I feel I belong there'”, says Mattes. The project also runs in the context of a migration society. Mattes expresses himself in a new church podcast, which can be found on the website of the Catholic Church – www.katholisch.at – can be accessed.
Social media are the current form of expression for young people. There are no clear boundaries between online and offline, rather there is a smooth transition, according to the political and religious scholar Mattes. That also applies to the subject of religion. Young people are also uncertain about this issue: “In a predominantly secular society, religion is a sensitive issue. Young people who want to lead a religious life are confronted with the fact that a large proportion of people do not.” In addition, many of them belong to a religious minority in a secular society due to their migration background. Mattes: “Online rooms are a very good place to negotiate because young people can also become authorities there.”
The videos produced by young people for YouTube and other channels are often about everyday practical questions to which the established religious communities and classical theologies do not necessarily provide answers, such as: “How much make-up is good?” or “How do I live a relationship?” But religious young people would also exchange ideas online. Starting out from charismatic movements, the big church institutions have now also done this from within, in order to address young people in their worlds and their language. Examples are the rapping Franciscan monk Sandesh Manuel or the evangelical pastor Julia Schnizlein. On the Muslim side, there are many bloggers like the photographer Asma Aiad, for whom religious clothing is a big issue.
Mattes emphasizes that many actors in the Catholic Church are already very active online. As a successful example, she cites Pope Francis, who is very successful with his Instagram account. One challenge is that institutions like the church and its dignitaries cannot act like individuals who simply talk about their everyday lives. “That would not correspond to the self-image of the religious office.” The possibilities are more limited here. A successful example is that, for example, individuals like Father Sandesh talk about their lives.
The podcast produced by the ecumenical radio agency Studio Omega is not just on www.katholisch.atbut also on www.studio-omega.at, on “https://studio-omega-der-podcast.simplecast.com" as well as on iTunes, all smartphone apps for podcasts, on Spotify and on Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwJ-QjJFPX4EGRuHBHsIJJQ/featured) available.
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