Spirituality in the Selfie Culture of Instagram

This explorative study of personal spiritual expressions on Instagram generated important data in relation to the emerging field of cyberspirituality and showed the need for further development and research. The book reveals several forms of spirituality present on Instagram, mainly belonging to secular spirituality. Many spiritual practices emerged in posts from all over the world, demonstrated through photography as spiritual practice. The Internet--and social media in particular--present an opportunity for individuals and communities to develop spiritual narrative when communicating online, especially with young people who are more likely to express themselves as ""spiritual but not religious."" Spiritual authenticity on social media, as a part of building spiritual capital, is an important step. ""In this original study the author highlights how Instagram is indeed a vehicle for spirituality, both secular and religious. She also gives many fine suggestions for further research as well as for how Instagram and social media in general can serve both spiritual seekers and those offering spirituality resources. Public space is now being defined by the smart phone, which can make it a site of spiritual communication with the whole world in our hands."" --Michael O'Sullivan, SJ, Director of the Spirituality Institute for Research and Education, Ireland ""I have known Petra Pajdakovic Sebek since her earliest journalistic and ecumenica...