@article {58, title = {Faith Tweets: Ambient Religious Communication and Microblogging Rituals}, journal = {Journal of Media and Culture}, volume = {13}, year = {2010}, month = {May 2010}, abstract = {The notion of ambient strikes a particularly resonant chord for religious communication: many faith traditions advocate the practice of sacred mindfulness, and a consistent piety in light of holy devotion to an omnipresent and omniscient Divine being. This paper examines how faith believers appropriate the emergent microblogging practices to create an encompassing cultural surround to include microblogging rituals which promote regular, heightened prayer awareness. Faith tweets help constitute epiphany and a persistent sense of sacred connected presence, which in turn rouses an identification of a higher moral purpose and solidarity with other local and global believers. Amidst ongoing tensions about microblogging, religious organisations and their leadership have also begun to incorporate Twitter into their communication practices and outreach, to encourage the extension of presence beyond the church walls.}, keywords = {ambient, Blogging, Communication, religion, Twitter}, url = {http://journal.media-culture.org.au/index.php/mcjournal/article/viewArticle/223}, author = {Pauline Hope Cheong} }