Practice of Religious Media in the Twenty-First Century

Dear Colleagues,

Since the invention of the printing press in the 15th century, print media have been an important way for religious institutions to communicate with followers and to share beliefs with the broader public. In the 20th century, the broadcast media of radio and television provided additional ways for religions to meet these goals. While these media continue to be important in the 21st century, they have been significantly transformed by the use of the internet and mobile devices. In the 21st century, religious institutions are also faced with an ever-increasing variety of new media possibilities, including webpages, e-mail lists, blogs, and social media such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube.

This Special Issue focuses on the ways that the new media opportunities of the 21st century are being employed in a variety of religious traditions, including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Buddhism, and Hinduism. Important topics to consider include the following:

• How have the internet and social media affected religious print media such as newspapers and magazines? How have these print media changed in the 21st century? How effective are print media in the 21st century?
• How have the internet and social media affected religious broadcasting via radio and television? How are such broadcasts different in the 21st century? How effective are these broadcasts in the 21st century compared to broadcasts in the 20th century?
• How are individual types of social media (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc.) currently being used by individual religions? Which religions have been more successful in their use of these social media? Why? Which types of social media have been more successful for these religions?
• How are the goals of using media articulated in various religious traditions? What evidence is there that they are successful in meeting these goals?
• How are religious media events funded in the 21st century? Who are the sponsors of religious media events? How do different types of funding and sponsorship affect the quality and success of such events?
• What impact did the Coronavirus pandemic have upon the use of media for religious purposes? How will the pandemic transform religious media going forward?
• What does the future hold for the use of media for religious purposes?

These are just some of the topics this Special Issue might consider. Contributors are also encouraged to propose studies of other aspects of the use of media for religious purposes in the 21st century.

We request that, prior to submitting a manuscript, interested authors initially submit a proposed title and an abstract of 200–300 words summarizing their intended contribution. Please send it to the Guest Editor, or to the Assistant Editor Sandee Pan (sandee.pan@mdpi.com) of Religions. Abstracts will be reviewed by the Guest Editors for the purpose of ensuring a proper fit within the scope of the Special Issue. Full manuscripts will undergo double-blind peer review.

We look forward to receiving your contributions.

Prof. Dr. Thomas Jerome Sienkewicz
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Religions is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

• broadcasting media
• social media
• Facebook
• Twitter
• YouTube
• Instagram
• religious media
• religious television
• religious radio