Religious celebrities. Analysis of the term in the context of mediatization processes

Abstract

Thesis/objective: This paper aims to analyse the constituting characteristics of religious celebrities, which it views as being closely linked to the process of mediatization. The first part of the paperpresents the current state of research on celebrity culture and outlines fundamental concepts related to mediatization as a force shaping the celebritization processes. The second part explores four key issues related to the concept of religious celebrities: the presence of religious celebrities in the public sphere and on the media agenda; the dominance of media logic and its impact on religious identity; the distinction between religious celebrities and genuine religious authority figures; and the influence of celebrities on the shaping of religious attitudes and the understanding of the sacred. The paper contains an initiatory analytical consideration of this subject.

Research method: The methods applied in this study include literature review and critique, as well as analysis and synthesis. The author discusses the existing theoretical research on celebrity culture and mediatization conducted by social studies scholars such as Olivier Driessens, Wiesław Godzic, Chris Hackley, and Stig Hjarvard.

Results/conclusions: Religious media celebrities are individuals who are typically affiliated with a religious denomination through formal institutional ties. They are present in the public sphere, and their personality and activity in the domain of religion generate media visibility and interest. The processes of mediatization and celebritization, when applied in research on religious media celebrities, need to be examined within their specific contextual framework. The institutional and constructionist perspectives on mediatization facilitate an interpretive analysis of the presence of religious celebrities in the public sphere and on the media agenda. In empirical research on religious celebrities, the differences in the principles followed by institutional representatives of religious denominations and the principles of media logic should be considered. Nevertheless, the pervasive presence of digital media is a factor that transforms the way churches and other religious associations function, reflecting the broader trend of deep mediatization. When analysing religious celebrities, it is essential to consider the deontological dimension as well as the extent to which religious celebrities are aware of the influence of the media, which belong to the sphere of the profane, on the religious experience of an individual, and how such awareness shapes the presence and activities of celebrities within the media environment.