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Ms. Sara Batts
Date of Start of Studies: 12.2007
Country: United Kingdom
Supervisor: Dr. Louise Cooke, Prof. Anne Morris
E-mail: s.batts@lboro.ac.uk
Title: Christian churches and the internet
in the UK
Research Group: Information,
Technology & Society
My interest lies in how religious organisations are
exploiting the internet as a way of providing information, building communities
and promulgating messages.
Aims/ Research Questions
From this come several research questions:
- To what extent do churches see themselves in a role as
information providers to external audiences?
- To what extent do churches see themselves in role as
information providers to their internal audience?
- To what extent are churches exploiting the internet to
promulgate faith-based messages, to engage all generations of the potential
audience or to provide a place for those without a traditional congregation
to meet?
- To what extent are UK-based internet users connecting
online for religious purposes and does this mirror, or differ from, offline
populations and interactions? Are existing communities being enhanced,
new ones established or is there a mixture of both?
- To what extent is the internet, with its perceived lack
of boundaries and unregulated content seen as an appropriate medium of
communication by the established Church?
- To what extent does the internet provide a place where
difficult or taboo subjects can be raised within a faith based environment
(for example, issues of sexuality) facilitating interactions that would
not otherwise take place face to face?
Plan of action
- Evaluate the relevance and usability of UK church
websites:
1.1 Investigate and assess existing methodologies for evaluation
- Examine the use of other media and draw conclusions
concerning the most appropriate methods for managing information provision
to external audiences and the churches’ own membership.
- Investigate online community participation in the
UK, establish baselines for the level of interaction and compare and contrast
this with faith-based communities.
- Investigate the provision of information on religion
by public library services.
- Examine the extent of church library facilities and
the policies which govern acquisitions.
- Assess the Church’s attitude towards the internet;
its facilitation or otherwise of Web 2.0 initiatives and authority views
on these initiatives.
Publications.
http://www.baptisttimes.co.uk/news3.htm
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