Religious Literacy in Social Media: A Need for Strategic Amplification

Abstract Social media platforms are double-edged swords for the advancement of religious literacy. Platforms like YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook may enhance the discoverability of factual information about religion and promote the formation of online learning communities. However, these same platforms enable the formation of conspiratorial echo chambers and allow disinformation to spread widely and quickly. Without editors or gate keepers, information in the age of social media is spread through a disintermediated process. Thus, the advancement of religious literacy on social media platforms must involve scholars and teachers taking on the role of “strategic amplifiers,” agents that amplify content that promotes religious literacy while being aware of the challenges these platforms present.