Religion, Markets, and Digital Media

Abstract

This study explores the role that social media serves in mediating and connecting religious communities and markets through a netnographic study of the search for halal food in the U.S. We find that social media websites can serve as important tools for overcoming obstacles to finding and verifying halal food sources, including barriers of physical access, authenticity, and quality. At a macro level, social media platforms have the potential to moderate the relationship between religion, the market, and consumption in a number of important ways, such as providing a venue for dialogues related to standards of commitment and faithfulness, serving as a community-based arbiter of standards, supporting identity constructions, and helping to overcome the marginalization associated with minority populations.