Digital Literacy in a Trans-Religious World

Finding meaning and striving for a good life are closely linked to digital practices today. Among young people in particular, social media platforms, online trends, influencers and fan communities have taken over the role previously played by religion, the church or parishes. These are often not explicitly religious topics, but phenomena that can be traced back to religious practices or fulfill a comparable function for the individual, the community or society.

Fasting is an example of this. For example, people are encouraged online to temporarily give up certain foods (e.g. No Sugar Challenge, Dry January) or the use of social media itself – usually without any religious references. While there are different religious narratives to justify renunciation (e.g. purification, penance, solidarity), what they have in common is the pursuit of a good life. The situation is similar with other forms of self-optimization, ranging from meditation and sport to digital aids (e.g. wearables for measuring various bodily functions).

The research project on «Digital skills in a trans-religious world» examines the distribution and typology of online content that is offered to help people find meaning and strive for a good life. Building on this, the study examines how young people deal with this content and what influence it has on their lives. This is investigated using data donated by school pupils combined with questionnaires and content classifications.

The findings will be used to develop religious education offerings aimed at enhancing young people’s media skills. This is of particular social relevance because adolescence is a developmental phase in which the search for one’s own identity and the search for meaning are of central importance and in which behavioral patterns are developed that will also shape the individual’s adulthood.