Between Tabloidization of Religion and Religious Affiliation on Facebook
„Anglojęzyczny Suplement Przeglądu Religioznawczego”, 2012, no. 1 EWA STACHOWSKA University of Warsaw Institute for Social Prevention and Resocialisation Between tabloidization of religion and religious affiliation on Facebook. Religion in the modern world Part I – Press and television Introduction Modern and postmodern trends infuse contemporary times with new values such as spontaneity, ephemerality and leisure. All narrative styles are rejected for the sake of neo-narration or post-narration affirmating the market, the freedom of choice, the ideology of hedonism and entertainment. Not only do they transpire to all spheres of life, experiences and desires, but also form our semantic structures, impact axiological and epistemological models that are a part of the contemporary social order. Postmodern attributes determine the character of societies1, culture and its components, while the past and the present lead a battle for the citizens’, recipients’ and consumers’ attention. However, they seem to be overwhelmed by the magic of 'nowness'2, dynamically changing trends and fashions celebrating pleasure, individualism, quasi-uniqueness and vanity, rather than ideals, values or traditional standards. It seems that contemporary times are as a result contesting and depreciating historical socio-cultural contexts and formulae. These form a reservoir of symbols and meanings, a collection of available means of expression facilitating the dissemination of happiness and consumerism, with ephem- erality and simulation supplanting conventional reflectivity and the former structures of sense. Tradition and its potential are in a way trapped in the theatre of consumerism, affirmating emblematic superficiality and fleeting uniqueness, which effectively decon- 1 See E. Fromm, Zdrowe społeczeństwo, Warsaw 1996. 2 See S.
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