Religion and Technology
We analyzed 16 years of general conference talks for mentions of online technologies. We extracted several guiding principles behind appropriate and inappropriate technology use. Now we are engaging emerging young adults to use these principles to reflect on how technology could be redesigned.
Problem
As technology becomes an integral part of our lives, it increasingly becomes involved in every aspect of our lives, including our spiritual beliefs and practices. Although technology can provide religious believers with more access to religious texts and tools than ever before, it can also become a spiritual challenge. For example, social media has provided an outlet and platform to share religious beliefs and lifestyles while also becoming a platform to spread misinformation, bias, and negativity. Our team is exploring the intricate relationship between technology and religion, as well as how people are integrating new technologies into their everyday religious practices. We aim to optimize positive, righteous use of technology while minimizing the harmful effects.
Current Research Efforts
- Publishing findings on understanding the aspirational goals of a religious community to inform value-sensitive design.
- Gathering & organizing data on the challenges newly independent adults face when incorporating technology into their religious practices.
- Studying how individual AI use affects one's religious efforts.