The Power Of Networks And Information Flows-In Circuits Of Power Perspective On Online Religion

This paper examines the tension between ICT users and legitimate authority in a network society. To explore this tension, this study reports a case study in the setting of a Taiwanese Christian church, particularly how the church authority was affected by the adoption of new technology. Drawing from a circuits of power perspective, the result of this study reveals that the intertwined relationship among information technology, social structure and users during the process of technology adoption and assimilation. The findings indicate that the implementation of Internet technologies in the church has challenged the traditional role of authority and distorted the power of information flow among stakeholders in the church. Our work shed light on how Internet technologies shape, and are shaped by the membership and belief in the context of religion.