A dominant narrative in the West has been that modernity in general and the Enlightenment in particular would undermine religious beliefs and practices to a point where such dimensions of human life would be replaced by science and rationality. Despite these expectations, religion persists, though membership in religious organizations has declined in many countries. A significant portion of people still identify as religious or spiritual, with these aspects remaining vital in their lives. While religion typically refers to organized practices, spirituality is often seen as an individual quest for meaning that is not necessarily connected to organized religion. Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) research has become increasingly interested in exploring the intersection of technology, religion, and spirituality. However, this research remains peripheral, with limited efforts to consolidate findings in recent years. This paper presents a systematic literature review of the current state of affairs in HCI and identifies research gaps and underexplored areas, aiming to solidify this emerging field and suggest future research directions. A comprehensive literature search yielded 665 articles, narrowed to 176 after filtering, which were analyzed into seven dimensions: focus, religion, practices, technology, societal dimensions, subjective experiences, and theory. Three research gaps emerged: (1) a focus on individualized spirituality over tangible religious practices, (2) broad discussions on technology’s impact rather than detailed analyses of specific tools, and (3) a lack of theoretical frameworks. We conclude that the field should prioritize detailed studies of particular technologies and practices within specific religious contexts, fostering both empirical depth and theoretical development.

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Grounding Existential HCI: A Structured Literature Review on the Study of Technology, Religion, and Spirituality

  • Henrik Åhman,
  • Claes Thorén

摘要

A dominant narrative in the West has been that modernity in general and the Enlightenment in particular would undermine religious beliefs and practices to a point where such dimensions of human life would be replaced by science and rationality. Despite these expectations, religion persists, though membership in religious organizations has declined in many countries. A significant portion of people still identify as religious or spiritual, with these aspects remaining vital in their lives. While religion typically refers to organized practices, spirituality is often seen as an individual quest for meaning that is not necessarily connected to organized religion. Human-Computer Interaction (HCI) research has become increasingly interested in exploring the intersection of technology, religion, and spirituality. However, this research remains peripheral, with limited efforts to consolidate findings in recent years. This paper presents a systematic literature review of the current state of affairs in HCI and identifies research gaps and underexplored areas, aiming to solidify this emerging field and suggest future research directions. A comprehensive literature search yielded 665 articles, narrowed to 176 after filtering, which were analyzed into seven dimensions: focus, religion, practices, technology, societal dimensions, subjective experiences, and theory. Three research gaps emerged: (1) a focus on individualized spirituality over tangible religious practices, (2) broad discussions on technology’s impact rather than detailed analyses of specific tools, and (3) a lack of theoretical frameworks. We conclude that the field should prioritize detailed studies of particular technologies and practices within specific religious contexts, fostering both empirical depth and theoretical development.