Page - 137 - in JRFM - Journal Religion Film Media, Volume 07/02

Book Review: Religion Online | 137 volume, the editors emphasize a broad definition of religion. A discussion of the editors’ and authors’ understandings of cyberspace (in particular given the volume’s title) and the Internet would have been an interesting addi- tion, especially in relation to a more detailed engagement with historical developments and the use of these terms in academic discourses as well as in the field of media and religion. The editors highlight the importance of thinking about varying access to digital media technologies in different places around the world (vol. 1, p. 8). However, a broader discussion of the Global South as well as economic aspects in relation to religion and media technology would have enhanced the volumes’ contribution to the existing academic discourse. Some chapters provide very interesting thoughts on theoretical frame- works that can be used to engage with religion and media technology, such as Joonseong Lee’s connection of Foucault and Deleuze as theoretical frameworks for an interpretation of Won Buddhism on the Internet (vol. 1, chapter 12). The author’s discussion of his own position in this religious tradition (vol. 1, p. 176) helpfully highlights the necessity for researchers to reflect their own roles within their field of research. The discussions of the role of artificial intelligence (vol. 1, chapter 5) as well as big data (vol. 1, chapter 6) in the understanding of technology as an important part of religious practices and everyday life encourage the reader to think further about the development of technology and its relevance for religious tradi- tions. Particularly, Heidi D. Blossom, Jeffrey S. Wilkinson, Alexander Gorelik, and Stephen D. Perry’s discussion of the potential misuse of big data and the challenges posed by small data in polls and statistics emphasizes the importance of contextualizing collected data (vol. 1, p. 77–81). They explain the potential misinterpretation of small data using a statistic by Gallup as an example. This graph shows the number of people who have been mem- bers of a church or synagogue since the 1990s in the United States (vol. 1, p. 79). The authors emphasize that the data presented here is problematic, and could be misused, since it is not clear how it was collected, who exactly participated in the survey, or how the data of people affiliated with other religious traditions was handled. The case studies in both volumes engage with a range of religious tradi- tions and aspects of the interrelation between religion and (digital) media technology on particular levels, running from the challenges of digital me- dia for Roman Catholic liturgy (vol. 1, chapter 11) to in-depth interviews with Jain mendicants to find out more about their understanding and use of www.jrfm.eu 2021, 7/2, 135–138