Cyberspirituality: A New Form of Spiritual Practice and Existential Presence in the Digital Realm

Abstract

The intensified use of technology has enabled religion and spirituality to establish a presence in the digital sphere through shifting the location of their enactment. Both religion and spirituality have undergone rapid transformations, particularly in the digital world. Religion and spirituality, which have sometimes been used interchangeably but were also occasionally treated as opposites before the advent of the digital world, have diverged from each other under the influence of postmodernism, globalization, secularization, new forms of belief, new religious trends, and New Age movements. With the introduction of social media applications, artificial intelligence, the metaverse, and transhumanism into our lives, the conceptual confusion between religion and spirituality has become more visible in the digital world. Religion and spirituality appear on the internet with concepts such as digital religion, virtual religion, e-religion, cyber religion, techno religion, digital spirituality, techno spirituality, cyberspirituality, cyberspace spirituality, and virtual spirituality. This study investigates whether the concept of cyberspirituality can be regarded as an independent category that clarifies the conceptual overlap between religion and spirituality within digital environments. Through a literature-based conceptual analysis, the definition of cyberspirituality, its relationship with spirituality, and its presence in digital religion research are explored in this article. It argues that cyberspirituality may serve as an alternative form of spirituality, specifically tailored to online contexts, and evaluates its distinct features in comparison with traditional understandings of spirituality.

Keywords

• Psychology of Religion
• Spirituality
• Internet
• Cyberspirituality
• Digital Religion.

Project Number

Yok

Siber Maneviyat: Dijital Alanda Manevi Olarak Varolmanın Yeni Bir Formu

Abstract

Yoğunlaşan teknoloji kullanıyla hem din hem de maneviyat çeşitli formlarda internetin sanal dünyasında hızla yerini almıştır. Sanal mecrada yer almadan önce kimi zaman birbirinin yerine kullanılan din ve maneviyatın postmodernizmin, küreselleşmenin, sekülerleşmenin, yeni inanç formlarının ve New Age akımların etkisiyle birbirinden ayrıştığı bilinmektedir. Sosyal medya uygulamaları, yapay zekâ, metaverse ve transhümanizm etkilerinin hayatımıza girmesiyle din ve maneviyat arasındaki kavram karmaşası sanal alemde de görünürlük kazanmıştır. Din ve maneviyat, internette “dijital din”, “sanal din”, “e-din”, “siber dindarlık”, “tekno din”, “dijital maneviyat”, “tekno maneviyat”, “siber maneviyat”, “siber alem maneviyatı”, “sanal maneviyat” gibi kavramlarla ifade edilmektedir. İnternet üzerinde yaşanan bu karmaşanın giderilmesine bir çözüm önerisi olarak din kavramının yanında alternatif bir maneviyat formu olan “siber maneviyat” kavramı önerilmektedir.

Keywords

• Din Psikolojisi
• Siber Maneviyat
• İnternet
• Dijital Din
• Teknodin

Project Number

Yok

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