Cultic Studies Review, Vol. 1, No. 2, 2002, Page 8
those in cyberspace…. The components of cyberspace that we will consider
include virtual communities, virtual conceptions of space and location,
religious sites in cyberspace, types of discussion and interest groups,
individual virtual communication, the cyberspatial ―self,‖ the significance of
hypertext, and the bodily experience of being on line. (Beaudoin, 1998, pp.
43-44)
Beaudoin sees cyberspace as chiefly characterized by speed. When computers bring people
all the speed they seek, they will then find ―a fullness of presence on-line‖ (Beaudoin, 1998,
p.87). The search for speed and full presence becomes a metaphor for two human quests:
Buber‘s I-Thou relationships and transcendent meaning. Beaudoin believes Xers have often
imagined the Web as a metaphor—however imperfect—for God: ―What we are suggesting,
then, is that cyberspace is not just a playful diversion for Xers. There is something deeply
theologically compelling about this medium with which Xers are so comfortable‖ (Beaudoin,
1998, p. 87)
Teenagers today (called Millennials or the Net Generation, as well as GenXers), follow the
footsteps—as do all youthful generations—of those ahead of them. Today‘s teens are heirs
of the first postmodern and Internet generation. Though the spirituality of both generations
is unorthodox, it is strong and creative. That this spirituality manifests itself on the Web
should not surprise us, for the Web is part of this generation‘s identity.
Despite this fact, few studies address the subject of teens, religion, and the Internet. There
seem to be two main reasons for this. First, studying this subject is not likely to bring much
of a monetary return, so commercial organizations have ignored it. Second, the subject of
spirituality is complex and subjective. It is, for example, difficult to make even rough
estimates about the number of spiritual seekers of any age on the Net. One sociologist
asserts, ―Reliable figures just don‘t exist at this time. We don‘t yet even have a working
taxonomy describing all the things people are doing, spiritually speaking, on the Web‖
(Strand, 2000, p. 89).
Nevertheless, some data exist. A study in American Demographics reports that 4% of teens
currently use the Internet for religious or spiritual experiences (Gardyn, 2000). Like the
general trend toward increased Internet use, the number of teens going online for spiritual
purposes seems likely to increase. Gardyn claims that overall, 16% of teens say that the
Internet will substitute for their current church-based religious experience in the next five
years. This is true for 31% of black teens and 8% of white teens. Though these statistics
are very interesting, it is nevertheless important to note that they refer to teens using the
Web for spiritual experiences, not merely spiritual information. It would seem that the
percentage of teens going online for spiritual information could be much higher.
Though research on the extent to which teens surf the Net for spiritual information is quite
limited, there is some evidence that adults in increasing numbers are looking for religion
online. For example, William Fore, director of Religion-Online.org, a site which daily lists
religious news and essays, reports that between October 1998 and March 1999, activity on
the site grew from 8,533 page views to 51,891. Judy Gill, director of Christianity Online
says her site has experienced similar fast-paced growth. In 1998, the number of hits and
the number of users were, respectively, 670,000 and 220,000 per month. In 1999, the
numbers had grown to 1.5 million hits, and 266,000 users per month (Strupp, 1999).
Research also shows that chat rooms and e-mail discussion were the most common online
activities for those adults who used the Internet for spiritual purposes (Derk, 1998).
Assuming that, like adults, teens are using the Web in increasing numbers to search for
religious information, it is important to look at what teens encounter when they go online
looking for religion. They are likely to run into the same challenges that face adolescents
looking for any sort of information on the Net: how to find a manageable number of
those in cyberspace…. The components of cyberspace that we will consider
include virtual communities, virtual conceptions of space and location,
religious sites in cyberspace, types of discussion and interest groups,
individual virtual communication, the cyberspatial ―self,‖ the significance of
hypertext, and the bodily experience of being on line. (Beaudoin, 1998, pp.
43-44)
Beaudoin sees cyberspace as chiefly characterized by speed. When computers bring people
all the speed they seek, they will then find ―a fullness of presence on-line‖ (Beaudoin, 1998,
p.87). The search for speed and full presence becomes a metaphor for two human quests:
Buber‘s I-Thou relationships and transcendent meaning. Beaudoin believes Xers have often
imagined the Web as a metaphor—however imperfect—for God: ―What we are suggesting,
then, is that cyberspace is not just a playful diversion for Xers. There is something deeply
theologically compelling about this medium with which Xers are so comfortable‖ (Beaudoin,
1998, p. 87)
Teenagers today (called Millennials or the Net Generation, as well as GenXers), follow the
footsteps—as do all youthful generations—of those ahead of them. Today‘s teens are heirs
of the first postmodern and Internet generation. Though the spirituality of both generations
is unorthodox, it is strong and creative. That this spirituality manifests itself on the Web
should not surprise us, for the Web is part of this generation‘s identity.
Despite this fact, few studies address the subject of teens, religion, and the Internet. There
seem to be two main reasons for this. First, studying this subject is not likely to bring much
of a monetary return, so commercial organizations have ignored it. Second, the subject of
spirituality is complex and subjective. It is, for example, difficult to make even rough
estimates about the number of spiritual seekers of any age on the Net. One sociologist
asserts, ―Reliable figures just don‘t exist at this time. We don‘t yet even have a working
taxonomy describing all the things people are doing, spiritually speaking, on the Web‖
(Strand, 2000, p. 89).
Nevertheless, some data exist. A study in American Demographics reports that 4% of teens
currently use the Internet for religious or spiritual experiences (Gardyn, 2000). Like the
general trend toward increased Internet use, the number of teens going online for spiritual
purposes seems likely to increase. Gardyn claims that overall, 16% of teens say that the
Internet will substitute for their current church-based religious experience in the next five
years. This is true for 31% of black teens and 8% of white teens. Though these statistics
are very interesting, it is nevertheless important to note that they refer to teens using the
Web for spiritual experiences, not merely spiritual information. It would seem that the
percentage of teens going online for spiritual information could be much higher.
Though research on the extent to which teens surf the Net for spiritual information is quite
limited, there is some evidence that adults in increasing numbers are looking for religion
online. For example, William Fore, director of Religion-Online.org, a site which daily lists
religious news and essays, reports that between October 1998 and March 1999, activity on
the site grew from 8,533 page views to 51,891. Judy Gill, director of Christianity Online
says her site has experienced similar fast-paced growth. In 1998, the number of hits and
the number of users were, respectively, 670,000 and 220,000 per month. In 1999, the
numbers had grown to 1.5 million hits, and 266,000 users per month (Strupp, 1999).
Research also shows that chat rooms and e-mail discussion were the most common online
activities for those adults who used the Internet for spiritual purposes (Derk, 1998).
Assuming that, like adults, teens are using the Web in increasing numbers to search for
religious information, it is important to look at what teens encounter when they go online
looking for religion. They are likely to run into the same challenges that face adolescents
looking for any sort of information on the Net: how to find a manageable number of
