Techno-theologoumena and Rise of Far-Right Orthodox Internet Celebrities

Techno-theologoumena and Rise of Far-Right Orthodox Internet
Celebrities

Sarah Riccardi-Swartz

Journal of Orthodox Christian Studies
Johns Hopkins University Press
Volume 6, Number 2, 2023
pp. 229-255
10.1353/joc.2023.a935940

ABSTRACT:

Eastern Orthodoxy possesses hierarchical theological and social
structures that emphasize obedience to doctrinal teachings and, often,
deference to the guidance of clergy and monastic elders. As a
religious organization, Orthodoxy perpetually returns to the writings
and teachings of the Church Fathers, ecumenical councils, and
well-established theologians to make sense of contemporary
social-moral issues in a synodal way. While each Eastern Orthodox
jurisdiction possesses the same dogma, they also each have their own
theologoumena (theological opinions), which have, in many cases,
become emphasized within certain strands of Orthodox thought. Despite
this flexibility, there has been a consistent understanding among
canonically affiliated Orthodox communities of what counts as
religious authority, where it comes from (mainly through revealed
theology preserved via Church tradition), and how it should be
considered and practiced. In our contemporary moment, however,
Orthodox digital content creators are transforming the concepts of
theological opinion and religious authority, often linking them
together in the production of their overtly political content. Drawing
on digital research, this article employs a critical media analysis of
far-right Orthodox social media content to explore the digital
expressions and transformation of religious authority and theological
opinion. I argue that the affordances of digital modalities allow for
these religious actors to become virtual micro-celebrities, building
out branded, authoritative forms of what I term
techno-theologoumena—digitally transmitted religious opinions—through
their content and presence.

Read it all here:

<https://muse.jhu.edu/pub/1/article/935940>


-- 
A: Because it messes up the order in which people normally read text.
Q: Why is top-posting such a bad thing?
A: Top-posting.
Q: What is the most annoying thing on usenet and in e-mail?