Changing religious practices in the digital age: University youth research

Media platforms facilitate the rapid and enduring dissemination of messages—whether personal or institutional in nature—to broad segments of the public. Consequently, there has been a notable increase in the production and circulation of religious content. While some of this content is generated by theologians or officially appointed religious functionaries, a significant portion is produced by individuals who, though lacking formal authorization, are regarded by the public as religious authorities. This situation gives rise to religious messages of uncertain origin, which are often accepted uncritically by large segments of society without due scrutiny or verification of their sources. In this context, the present study seeks to explore the attitudes and perceptions of young individuals toward religious content shared on digital platforms. Employing qualitative research methodologies, specifically the phenomenological approach and in-depth interview techniques, the study was conducted with 35 undergraduate students enrolled at the Faculty of Theology, İnönü University. Of these, 27 participants' responses were deemed suitable for inclusion in the final analysis. Findings indicate that participants generally express satisfaction with the presence of religious content, knowledge, and discourse in digital environments. However, it was also observed that they do not place complete trust in such content and often feel the need to verify its accuracy through alternative sources. The temporal and spatial flexibility inherent in digital media appears to significantly enhance users' access to religious content. The study further reveals that the persuasive and directive power of digital religious content is comparable to that of traditional religious materials, and that religion is susceptible to manipulation within digital contexts. Based on these findings, the study recommends the implementation of regulatory mechanisms to oversee digital religious content, the development of strategies to prevent the distortion of religion in digital spaces, and the integration of digital literacy and context-specific innovations into all levels of educational curricula and instructional practices.