Since its advent, social media has not only mobilized religious freedom around the world, but also connected physically distant religious communities. This paper will explore another dimension of the relationship between social media and religion: how platforms like Twitter and Facebook are impacting religious literacy, the awareness of how religion intersects with society. Religious literacy is increasing with greater availability of information, but it is also threatened by the politicization, reductionism, and disinformation associated with social media platforms. While this analysis is focused on the United States, the principles of effective religious engagement on social media developed herein certainly have universal application.
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Grace Xu (SFS’23) is an undergraduate student in the Walsh School of Foreign Service with a major in international politics and a minor in religion, ethics, and world affairs. In addition to pursuing her academic interest in the intersection of foreign policy and religion, she chairs the Student Advisory Board of Georgetown University’s Institute of Politics and Public Service.
