Cell phones and their religions: technology consumption as an expression of faith among pentecostals and umbandistas

Authors

  • Sandra Rubia da Silva Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, UFSM, Santa Maria, RS

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18568/cmc.v12i35.1048

Keywords:

Cell phones, Bluetooth, Afro-Brazilian religions, Pentecostalism, Poverty

Abstract

This article explores the connections between cell phone use and religiosity in a low-income community in South Brazil. Drawing from ethnographic data collected through in-depth interviews and participant observation, it describes the new social and cultural practices that have arisen as a result of the integration of cell phones in the lives of Pentecostals and followers of umbanda, the most popular Afro-Brazilian religion. The article examines the dynamics and meanings involved in the process of social change that negotiates and brings together technology and religion in unique ways, particularly focusing on the role of bluetooth as a phone function that addresses social inequalities. It is suggested that cell phones not only enable new possibilities for the expression and practice of faith, but also, similarly to religion, empower community members, thus becoming an instrument that can help them cope with poverty.

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Author Biography

Sandra Rubia da Silva, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, UFSM, Santa Maria, RS

Doutora em Antropologia Social (UFSC, 2010), com período sanduíche no Departamento de Antropologia do University College London, sob orientação do prof. Daniel Miller. Professora do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Comunicação da Universidade Federal de Santa Maria - UFSM

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Published

2015-12-08

How to Cite

Silva, S. R. da. (2015). Cell phones and their religions: technology consumption as an expression of faith among pentecostals and umbandistas. Comunicação Mídia E Consumo, 12(35), 110–128. https://doi.org/10.18568/cmc.v12i35.1048

Issue

Vol. 12 No. 35 (2015): Comunicação e culturas do consumo no Atlântico Sul

Section

Dossiê - Pensamento comunicacional latino-americano – desafios e perspectivas da des-ocidentalização no Sul Global

License

Authors retain the copyright and grant the journal the right to first publication, with the work simultaneously licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License that allows the work sharing with acknowledgment of authorship and initial publication in this magazine.