IDEAL INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL

The pervasive integration of digital media and artificial intelligence (AI) into the social fabric of the 21st century has precipitated a profound transformation in religious landscapes globally. This comprehensive paper examines the multifaceted impact of these technologies on religious practices, the formation of indịvidual and collective beliefs, and the mechanisms of community building. Through a synthesis of current scholarly literature (2020- 2025), the analysis explores how digital platforms have democratized access to religious content, enabling rituals like virtual pilgrimages, streaming worship services, and digital prayer forums, thereby creating hybridized "networked religiosities." Concurrently, the paper investigates the role of algorithmic curation on social media and search engines in shaping belief formation, potentially leading to echo chambers, radicalization, or the personalized syncretism of spiritual ideas. A central focus is placed on the reconfiguration of religious community, analyzing how online groups, from mainstream congregational extensions to novel spiritual movements, foster belonging, authority, and collective identity in disembodied spaces. The emerging integration of AI, through chatbots for spiritual guidance, algorithmic scripture analysis, and generative media for sacred art, presents new frontiers and ethical quandaries. The discussion critically addresses significant challenges, including digital divides, the commodification of faith, surveillance concerns, and the tension between centralized platform control and religious autonomy. The paper concludes that digital media and AI are not merely tools for replicating offline religion but are active, non-neutral participants in redefining what constitutes religious practice, belief, and community in the contemporary era. Recommendations for religious institutions, scholars, and technology developers are proposed to navigate this evolving terrain thoughtfully.

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