Relationship Between Media And Religion

Since the introduction of societal structures throughout the world, we as a civilisation have been shaped by what influences our lifestyles and ideological beliefs. These influences can range from a myriad of sources including political stimuli to social, or religious philosophies. It is these beliefs that society and individuals hold that allows the development of our culture from the past and into the future. However, in the ever increasing modernised world, the power of the media over people has allowed its influence to affect every facet of life and to become the most influential entity in society. With the ability to conform to a variety of mediums, media can effectively convey any argument. It is this power that the media holds that can …show more content…
Frequently, religion falls under the scrutiny of journalism and the two parties clash as a result of their power and relevance in individuals’ lives. Likewise, there is no boundary to what media is able to pursue, especially in terms of freedom of journalism. This critical role that the media has gives leeway to the extent that people are able to consume religious information. With an accumulative presence within popular culture as well, it is obvious as to why the media has the ability to influence the comprehension of religion. “The fact is that the major religious issues and trends that are so important today cannot be fully addressed or understood without attention to the media… The media are a source of information about religions, religious trends, and religious ideas” (Hoover 2008.) This understanding of religion, to most individuals, is often derived from the media and although information has the chance to be bias and fabricated, most of the general population would find that their personal knowledge regarding religion was formed from what is provided to them by media outlets. However, evidence of religion and religious information does not cease with news media. To embrace the advancements in the use of technology in society, religions themselves use media to plug their presence throughout the world, especially in conjunction with social media. Contextually, on March 19 2016, Pope Francis generated an Instagram account, to which he gained over 70,000 followers in under an hour (Melville-Smith 2016.) This verifies the extent to which varying media outlets have the ability to manipulate and influence individuals’ understanding of religion within society, as media is not only used to convey information on different religions, but as it is directly used in addition with