Belonging online: rituals, sacred objects, and mediated interactions

Osler, Lucy 2024. Belonging online: rituals, sacred objects, and mediated interactions. Dolezal, Luna and Petherbridge, Danielle, eds. Phenomenology of Belonging, Albany, NY: SUNY Press,

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Abstract

In this chapter, I explore how experiences of social belonging might emerge and be sustained in online communities, drawing from the work on rituals by Randall Collins. I argue that rather than viewing mediated interactions in terms of whether they are suitable substitutes for face-to-face interactions, we should consider mediated encounters in their own right. This allows us to recognize the creative ways that people can create rituals in a mediated setting and thus support and create a sense of belonging with others online. I also highlight how some online platforms not only support online rituals but that they are well-positioned to create and circulate collective symbols (or sacred objects) of groups and, thus, can continue to scaffold and sustain on-going feelings of belonging.

Item Type:	Book Section
Date Type:	Publication
Status:	In Press
Schools:	Schools > English, Communication and Philosophy
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > B Philosophy (General)
Publisher:	SUNY Press
Date of First Compliant Deposit:	20 January 2024
Last Modified:	21 Oct 2025 09:08
URI:	https://orca.cardiff.ac.uk/id/eprint/165694

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