Religious media settlers in times of deep mediatization

Abstract

This article follows the actor-centered approach in studies on deep mediatization and religion in the aim of introducing the concept of ‘media settlers’, which refers to how churches, being corporate actors, actively use digital media and respond to the trends and consequences of deep mediatization. In so doing, churches undertake actions defined as strategies intended to both expand and maintain community–and assert authority. The article draws on the results of qualitative analyses of the media ensembles of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church and Orthodox Churches in Poland and the UK, along with interviews with media professionals from these churches. The conclusion is that the media settlers concept expands and develops our grasp of the religious-social shaping of technology [Campbell, Heidi A. 2010. When Religion Meets New Media. London: Routledge] by investigating how religious organizations actively shape their media to attain institutional goals, and in consequence transform their media ensembles.