Digital deconstruction of tradition: religion and family values in the network environment
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Abstract
The article is dedicated to analyzing the impact of digitalization on the transformation of religious and family traditions in the context of network society. The focus of the research is the deconstruction of sacred narratives and the reinterpretation of family roles under the influence of information and communication technologies. The author examines how digital platforms are transforming ritual practices, changing modes of spiritual education, and complicating the processes of intergenerational transmission of religious and moral norms.
The digital age is giving rise to new configurations of interaction between the individual, the family, and religious institutions, disrupting the traditional hierarchy of the sacred. The online environment shapes alternative socialization mechanisms where faith takes on a personalized and fragmented character, and the family functions in hybrid communication formats that combine physical presence with virtual practices. The article explores the adaptation of religious institutions to the digital logic of perception, specifically the broadcasting of services, virtual participation in rituals, and online communities of believers. In a family context, the changes in leisure activities, rituals, authority, and religious education through digital media are emphasized.
Within the framework of an interdisciplinary approach (religious studies, sociology, anthropology), key challenges are outlined: the risk of superficial religious experience, the rise of digital addiction, the fragmentation of collective memory, and the ethics of online education. At the same time, new possibilities are highlighted: accessibility of spiritual knowledge, flexibility in forms of participation, and the expansion of tools for transmitting values. Digitization not only adds new media to traditional forms of interaction but also radically changes the mechanisms of identity formation, religious affiliation, and the structuring of the sacred in everyday life.
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