@article {2755, title = {Religious live-streaming: constructing the authentic in real time}, journal = {Information, Communication \& Society}, year = {2019}, abstract = {From the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem to the Kaaba of Mecca, many religious sites are webcasting in live-streaming. This study inquires how religious institutions act to shape users{\textquoteright} worldviews and negotiate meanings via live-streaming-mediated communication. Ethnographic fieldwork accompanied a case study of 25 in-depth interviews of the Can{\c c}{\~a}o Nova and the Franciscan Order{\textquoteright}s recent media operation in the Holy Land. Findings uncovered three facets: (1) Evangelizing youth. (2) Establishing affinity towards the Holy Land. (3) Maintaining constant presence of the transcendental. Drawing on Walter Benjamin, proximity between believers and the divine via live-streaming is discussed and its implication for transforming the religious experience, establishing secondary authority in the Catholic world and propelling religious change in the information society.}, url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/1369118X.2017.1395472}, author = {Golan, Oren and Martini, Michele} }