Abstract:
Technology has revolutionised the traditional concept of worship and impacted the
understanding of spirituality. The rise of the internet and digital technologies has revolutionised
how individuals interact with each other and their surroundings, including religious spaces.
This autoethnographic exploration delves into the experience of virtual worship and how the
digital revolution is transforming spiritual experiences. Based on my personal experiences and
observations, I have investigated the world of virtual worship and discovered the unique
religious experiences it offers in cyberspace. It also reveals the potential for technology to
facilitate religious experiences through virtual sacred spaces and discusses the possibility of
these online experiences replacing worship in physical reality. I have discovered that virtual
worship provides advantages such as connecting with a global community of believers and the
convenience of participating in religious activities from the comfort of their own homes.
However, there are also possible drawbacks, including a lack of intimacy and connection with
the physical world.
This exploration highlights the intricate and evolving relationship between technology and
spirituality and how virtual worship shapes our religious experiences. The study contends that
virtual worship cannot substitute offline gatherings, but that online and offline spiritual
practices can be used since they are vital in their different capacities. Furthermore, the study
emphasises that while virtual worship experiences hold immense value as they allow flexibility
and accessibility, they may lack some embodied aspects of worship, such as physical presence
and shared space. Overall, this autoethnographic exploration provides valuable insights into
how virtual worship experiences impact religious practice and suggests that digital
technologies could complement physical worship spaces rather than replace them entirely.
Thus, the study expands on the scholarship of digital culture and virtual worship by considering
an autoethnographic experience of the phenomenon.
