Unveiling the digital pulpit: A systematic literature review of social media use by religious communities for religious practices

Abstract

Background: Social media has transformed how religious communities practise their faith and engage with followers in digital spaces. While these platforms create opportunities for religious participation, they also raise underexplored privacy and ethical concerns.
Objectives: This study identified religious practices facilitated through social media and examined the privacy and ethical concerns reported in existing scholarship.
Method: A systematic literature review was conducted across five academic databases and Google Scholar, covering publications from 2014 to 2026. The search yielded 285 articles, of which 12 met the inclusion criteria. The selected studies were analysed using an inductive thematic approach.
Results: Christianity dominated the existing literature, with limited representation of Islam, Judaism and multi-religious contexts. A total of 25 religious practices were identified and grouped into five categories: (1) communication and engagement, (2) religious rituals and services, (3) dissemination of religious content, (4) community and fellowship activities and (5) religious education and resources. While most studies focused on the opportunities afforded by social media, a smaller number reported concerns related to misinformation, trolling, impersonation, exclusion of non-technical users and algorithmic disruptions.
Conclusion: Social media has expanded opportunities for religious participation and engagement; however, research remains unevenly distributed across religious traditions and gives limited attention to privacy and ethical risks.
Contribution: This study synthesises religious practices conducted through social media and highlights emerging privacy and ethical concerns, providing a foundation for future research on digital religion and privacy in underrepresented contexts.