Christopher Helland is Professor of Sociology and Social Anthropology at Dalhousie University. His research focuses on religion in digital environments, from early online forums to contemporary social platforms. Here he revisits foundational distinctions—such as “religion online” versus “online religion”—while showing how they have blurred over time. Digital media are no longer supplementary spaces but integral to how communities form, rituals unfold, and authority is negotiated. At the same time, he cautions against assuming that technological change alone explains religious transformation, pointing instead to enduring dynamics of belonging and interpretation. His approach emphasizes continuity across formats, inviting a rethinking of how religious life unfolds when the boundaries between physical and mediated presence are no longer stable.
