Page - 191 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 05/02

tion theory. Broadly speaking, mediatization describes a process in which “the influence of media […] has gradually expanded within virtually every domain of society and culture and public and private everyday life” (58). Notably, mediati- zation is itself a dual process in which media “have simultaneously also attained the position of social institutions in their own right” (58). The significance of this in regard to Moberg’s study is that he effectively ar- gues that the marketization discourses within mainline Protestant institutions are themselves discursive elements of neoliberalism which Moberg links to pro- cesses of mediatization. Citing David Harvey, Moberg argues that the neoliberal push toward maximization of efficiency in society requires the development of increasingly efficient information and communication technologies (ICTs) nec- essary for the “accumulation, transfer, storage, and dissemination of ever more massive loads of information” (58). Within this neoliberal worldview, the me- diatization of society is inevitable, owing to the widespread presence of ICTs, which are necessary for the rapid development of neoliberalism to occur. As Moberg argues, mediatization is said to occur as either a direct or an indi- rect process; the former occurring when un-mediated activity becomes mediat- ed and the latter, when an activity, organization, or context becomes gradually influenced by media over time (58). The significance of this to Moberg’s study is that indirect mediatization is seen as being intertwined with so-called “media logics” or metaphorical frames of reference underpinning the subjugation and subsumption of un-mediated activities by media. For Moberg, the gradual adoption of new media and NPM techniques by re- ligious organizations qualifies as an indirect form of mediatization, one which sidesteps the recurring issue of causality by invoking media logics not as caus- al determinants but rather as one of many socio-cultural pressures inducing change. Admittedly, mediatization theory is much debated by scholars who see the theory as convenient albeit difficult to demonstrate empirically. Yet Moberg more than does the theory justice in his use of it to frame the study at hand. Moberg accomplishes this by bringing a unique perspective to mediatization, one that is perhaps not so obvious at first glance. Citing Heidi Campbell, Moberg argues that the culture of the internet and ICTs has led to the appearance of so-called “religious digital creatives”, or RDCs. As Moberg notes, it is RDCs who have the necessary skills and expertise to lend their services to religious organ- izations, helping these organizations to develop their structures and adapt to the “new technological realities” of contemporary digitally mediated life and in so doing bridge the knowledge gap between neoliberal NPM techniques and religious tradition (69). Moberg’s implication of RDCs as a driving force for discursive religious change which itself is representative of religious structural change via neolib- eralism and marketization is a valiant attempt to resolve the issue of causality Book Review: Church, Market, and Media | 191www.jrfm.eu 2019, 5/2, 189–192