Accordingly, we may make a distinction between the explicit and elaborate texts and practices

of institutionalised religions such as Protestantism, Islam, Buddhism and so on and the

implicit and bricolage-like religious texts and practices of the media. Banal religion may
consist of elements taken om institutionalised religion, such as crosses, prayers and cowls as
well as elements usually associated with folk religion, such as trolls, vampires and black cats
crossing the street. Furthermore, banal religion may incorporate representations that have no
necessary religious meanings such as upturned faces, thunder and lightning, and highly
emotional music. Banal religion preia intelesuri religioase din contextual lor original si le
reinterpreteaza, punandu-le intr-un alt context. From the point of view of human history and
evolution, such banal religious representations may be considered as the first inventory of
religious imagination that rests on the human ability to ascribe intentional agency to
unexplainable occurrences (Barrett 2004), to make anthropomorphic projections into a
metaphysical world (Guthrie 1993) and to
blend ontologically distinct categories (Boyer 2001). Thus, banal religion is not synonymous
with religion in the media and we may distinguish between mediatised forms of religion
(religion that is highly influenced by media logic) and religious media (media that serve
religious institutions). The former is highly influenced by banal religion, whereas the latter
is dominated by institutional forms of religion.
This is the strength of mediatised religion compared with the institutionalised religions, but
also its Achilles heel: the media facilitate the very multiplication of lifeworlds that challenges
religions authority to define the social world, and because of this the media will be a very
unstable force to ensure the maintenance of coherent and stable religious worlds. In this way,
mediatisation of religion primarily tends to be intertwined with the process of secularisation.

Stig Hjarvard
Definitie mediatizarea religiei (p 119)
In particular, the theory of mediatisation has proved fruitful for the analysis and discussion of
how media spread to, become intertwined with, and influence other fields or social institutions
such as politics, family and religion. In general, mediatisation denotes the social and cultural
process through which a field or institution to some extent becomes dependent on the logic of
the media
-

banal religion - bricolage (Levi-Strauss 1966) of religious elements

- mediatizare vs secularizare: cum mediatizarea este implicate in secularizarea culturii

si a societatii

- se refera la protestantii din tarile nordice

Strong vs weak religions (p120) the most widespread form of religion may be
categorised as weak because it is characterised by a lesser degree of commitment to
religious organisations and a higher degree of individualised belief. In the words of
Grace Davie, mainstream religion in the Nordic countries may both entail believing
without belonging, i.e. individualised faith outside the church, and belonging without
believing

Media theory : 1: how media affects behaviour; 2: how individuals use media for their
purpose, ceea ce implica faptul ca actorii sociali sunt liberi sa utilizeze sau nu media
cu un scop precis

Uses&gratification approach (p 121)

Usage of specific media influences audiences construction of cultural identity (p 121)

Problema celor 2 teorii este ca ambele considera media separate de societate si cultura.
mediatization goes beyond a simple causal logic dividing the world into dependent
and independent variables. Thus, mediatization as a concept both transcends and
includes media effects (Schulz 2004, 90).

Schulz (2004) suggests that mediatisation brings about four types of changes:

(1) media extend human communication and interaction beyond immediate time

and space, (2) they substitute existing forms of face-to-face communication and

interaction, (3) media and existing forms of communication and interaction

amalgamate with one another and (4) social actors and institutions may

accommodate to the logic of the media.

Mediatisation is characterised by a two-sided development.

First, the media

have developed into a more autonomous, independent institution in society. Daca la

inceput, presa era doar o modalitate prin care grupuri politice si de interese isi duceau
mesajul catre oameni, pe parcurusul secolului 20, presa a devenit din ce in ce mai
independenta. Iae acum, ea se pliaza pe cerintele pietei. Dar cum conceptul de
autonomie este relativ, s-a ajuns la situatia in care, fiindca institutiile media au acces la
si controleaza o resursa importanta, celelalte institutii sunt dependente intr-o oarecare
masura de media, iar media, dependenta de piata.

Second, at the same time as the media have emerged as an independent institution in
society, the media have become integrated into the workings of other social
institutions. Odata cu accesul din ce in ce mai mare la media al oamenilor de toate
varstele si clasele sociale, media nu mai sunt in exterior, o institutie separata de viata
de zi cu zi, ci au intrat in interior, facand partea din experienta de viata a tuturor.

This duality is also reflected in the medias simultaneous visible and invisible
character. They are both highly visible as an institution commanding authority and
attention, and invisible as part of the mundane flow of everyday life.

Media have a series of characteristics a set of affordances (Gibson1979) that come

to influence the ways that humans interact with and through the media. Thus, media
logic comprises the various operational modalities by which the media enable, limit
and structure human communication and action.

Mediatisation vs mediation
Mediation refers to the act of communication via a medium, the intervention of which can
affect both the message and the relationship between sender and receiver. For example, if
a priest chooses to use a blog instead of a printed newsletter to communicate with his
followers, the choice may well influence the form and content of his communication,
whereas the communicative relationship between the priest and the followers will be
altered due to the blogs interactive features. However, the single instance of using one
medium or another will not necessarily have any notable effect on religion as a social
institution. Mediation describes the concrete act of communication by means of a medium
in a specific social context. By contrast, mediatisation refers to a more long-term process,
whereby social and cultural institutions and modes of interaction are changed as a
consequence of the growth of the medias influence.
Mediatizarea religiei

Nu este un fenomen universal, ci se observa mai ales in tari dezvoltate, cu precadere

vestice.
The nature of this development takes many forms and has various consequences
depending on the specific religion, media and context in question, but, in general,
mediatisation entails the transformation of three aspects of religion (Hjarvard 2008a):
. The media become an important, if not primary source of information about religious
issues. Mass media are both producers and distributors of religious experiences, and
interactive media may provide a platform for the expression and circulation of individual
beliefs.
. Religious information and experiences become moulded according to the demands of
popular media genres. Existing religious symbols, practices and beliefs become raw
material for the medias own narration of stories about both secular and sacred issues.
. As a cultural and social environment the media have taken over many of the cultural and
social functions of the institutionalised religions and provide spiritual guidance, moral
orientation, ritual passages and a sense of community and belonging.
The medias importance as information source and discussion forumfor issues relating to
religion broadly challenges the authority of religious institutions. The places (churches,
etc.), representatives (ministers, etc.) and texts (bible, etc.) of institutionalised religions
have not only in general been relegated to a marginal position in society, but also, when it
comes to issues concerning spiritual matters and religious institutions, no longer take
centre stage. When media become an important source of information about religion and
more generally the place to visit in order to engage with spiritual matters, the media
acquire some of the churchs former power to define and frame religious issues.
Media may not only provide information about religion but also create narratives and
virtual worlds that invite people to have experiences of a religious-like character.
Furthermore, social media may provide a platform for discussions and communitybuilding among people with similar religious orientation.
the ritualised practices of fan communities may resemble religious practices and evoke
similar emotions, but may also entail different assumptions and beliefs about the existence
of a metaphysical realm. Like Hill (2002), we may not necessarily equate these fan
cultures with religious communities, but the similarities bear witness to the fact that

religious practices such as worship and idolatry can be re-contextualised into more or less
secular media-centred activities.
banal religion - bricolage (Levi-Strauss 1966) of religious elements

What can we learn from the

mediatisation of religion debate?
Gordon Lynch

This suggests that the

mediatisation thesis, in this form, is less relevant in contexts in which the structure of
religious institutions does not follow this pattern where, for example, there is no single
religious institution regarded as the primary source of religious authority (as in many Islamic
countries, see Herbert 2011) or where a religious form (such as Vodou) lacks any clear
institutional structure beyond its commercial, mediated and loosely networked forms. Teza lui
Hjarvard se limiteaza la spatiul tarilor nordice. David Herbert (2011) has argued that under
different social conditions to those of Western and Northern Europe, the circulation of religion
through public media can lead to the re-publicisation of religion as a social, cultural and
political force. This would involve identifying the ways in which particular media forms are
used in the formation of distinctive, or intersecting, religious and secular publics, the degree
to which any media institution is regarded as a widely shared communicative space and the
ways in which religion is negotiated within this, and the degree of symbolic or
physical conflict between different religious or secular publics., operative sacred forms that
inform media production and use in that context need to be identified, the ways in which
media institutions legitimate their communicative role on the basis of particular sacred
forms.
- another strand of comparative research could be to examine the ways in which different
religious groups make use of media or relate to public media in a given national context
- The broad focus of comparative studies could vary from the ways in which media intersect
with a particular religious tradition or community in different national contexts, the social
implications of the representation of religion in a particular public medium (e.g. television) or
the implications of markets or media policy for religionmedia interactions indifferent
contexts.

Herbert, D. 2011. Why has religion gone public again? Towards a theory of media and
religious re-publicization. In Religion, media and culture: A reader, ed. G. Lynch,
J. Mitchell, and A. Strhan, 8997. London: Routledge.
Hoover, S. 2009. Complexities: The case of religious cultures. In Mediatization: Concept,
changes, consequences, ed. K. Lundby, 12338. New York: Peter Lang.