Digital Mary: Religious Mediatization and the Re-Enchantment of a Mega Symbol

Abstract

This study examines how sacred sites and their agents construct the mediatization of Mary. A qualitative analysis of Instagram postings of four European holy sites of the Virgin combined with ethnographic fieldwork identified three primary ways in which webmasters manage Marian sites to amplify her charismatic appeal and inspire awe: (1) Marycentrism: Situating Mary as the all-encompassing focal protagonist that is separate and aggrandized on postings; (2) Enchanting Pragmatism: Imbuing religious symbols in informational and institutional knowledge concerning the Marian site; and (3) Open-Ended Participation: Displaying public events of saint veneration to elicit voluntary communicative acts that engage users with the physical space, and provide a shared experience of the mediatized events leading to a connection with the transcendental. The discussion centers on the ways that mediatization has transformed her icon into a ubiquitous image of a sole mother Goddess while altering represented and in-person worship and rituals.