(Note: the blue horizontal menu bar directly above lists the subsections of "What Does Religion Look Like Online?" Beginning with "Googling God," be sure to read each of these subsections before moving on to "Living in and with Web 2.0.")

What Does Religion Look Like Online?

By 2004 a quarter of Internet users were going online to search specifically for religious or spiritual information, making that activity more popular than online banking, online dating, or online gambling at the time, according to a study from the Pew Internet and American Life Project. By 2007, this number had risen to 35 percent of all Internet users. If the definition of "online faithful" is broadened to include people who engage in all kinds of activities online, including sending and receiving holiday cards or e-mails with religious or spiritual content, the number of people engaging with religion online shoots to 64 percent of all Internet users, according to a 2004 study from the same Pew project.

So the Internet represents a vital religious outlet and resource for people in the United States. But exactly what does this online religious activity represent? "Religious observance is by nature both solitary and communal, and the contribution of the Internet to that space can be confusing," wrote Elena Larsen, author of the 2001 Pew report. "On the one hand, the Internet could be seen as an electronic prayer book, an aid to personal devotion, or a reference guide to spiritual issues without being an actual part of religious observance. On the other hand, an Internet site could be a 'place' where people come together, either to chat or to pray or even to worship with people around the globe who may be at the same site at the same time."

In other words, the Internet serves myriad functions—as a library of content, a utility for getting jobs done (like checking on details of a worship service), or a place to seek out and enjoy community, to name just a few.