Ethics and Religion in the Age of Social Media

Kevin Healey (Ph.D., University of Illinois) is associate professor of communication at the University of New Hampshire. He writes and teaches religion, ethics, and digital culture. Kevin received the Communication Ethics Teaching Award from the National Communication Association in 2018 and the University Teaching Excellence Award from the University of New Hampshire in 2017. His essays appear in Salon, Huffington Post, and Religion Dispatches, as well as in numerous academic books and journals. This book is supported by his participation in a three-year Public Theologies of Technology and Presence grant program sponsored by the Institute of Buddhist Studies and the Henry Luce Foundation. Kevin lives in Durham, New Hampshire, with his wife Cristina, their daughter Madeline, and their dog Charlie. Robert H. Woods Jr. (Ph.D., Regent University) is professor of communication and media at Spring Arbor University in Spring Arbor, Michigan. He teaches and writes about communication theory, media and culture, and ethics. Robert served as the President of the Religious Communication Association (RCA) and was named Scholar of the Year by the RCA in 2013. He is the network administrator for the Christianity and Communication Studies Network (www.theccsn.com). His articles appear in numerous scholarly journals, and he has authored, co-authored, and edited a dozen academic books. He lives in Washington State with his wife, Rebekah, their three dogs, and two cats.

Introduction

Part I

1 The Current Crisis in Digital Media

2 Historical Origins of the Digital Crisis

Part II

3 Information Is Not Wisdom

4 Transparency Is Not Authenticity

5 Convergence Is Not Integrity

6 Processing Is Not Judgment

7 Storage Is Not Memory

Part III

8 How to Think Differently About Tech: Corollaries to the Proverbs

9 Prophetic Imagination and Institutional Change

Conclusion: An Ethic of Non-Violence for the Digital Age