religion is in trend ft. social media
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- Опубліковано 8 лют 2025
- Faith for Sale: The Commodification of Religion in India’s Social Media Age
In India, religion is more than belief-it’s culture, identity, and community. It flows through festivals, food, and family rituals, shaping lives in ways both profound and mundane. But in the digital age, even this sacred connection has begun to change. Social media platforms like Instagram, UA-cam, and WhatsApp have brought faith into our feeds, turning personal spirituality into shareable content. The question is: what happens when faith is filtered, curated, and commodified?
#Religion Meets Social Media
Social media in India is a vibrant, chaotic space, and religion has found its own niche within it. From viral bhajans and soulful qawwalis to short Instagram Reels of priests performing artisanal aartis, faith has become content. Religious leaders now run sleek social media accounts, blending traditional teachings with digital aesthetics. Festivals like Diwali, Eid, or Christmas are no longer just about family gatherings or temple visits-they’re hashtags, photo opportunities, and promotional campaigns.
Platforms like Instagram and UA-cam reward creators for producing content that resonates, and religion-emotional, visual, and universally relevant-fits perfectly. Devotional quotes in Sanskrit get reposted endlessly. Grand temple rituals are livestreamed to millions. Even WhatsApp forwards-now a hallmark of Indian digital culture-carry religious messages, urging people to “like,” “share,” or face divine consequences.
But somewhere between likes and shares, between hashtags and headlines, the essence of faith risks being lost. Is this connection to religion meaningful, or is it just another form of digital distraction?
The Business of Faith
The commodification of religion isn’t new. India has always had a rich ecosystem of religious commerce: temple tourism, pilgrimages, and devotional items like rudraksha beads, prasad boxes, or Islamic prayer mats. But social media has turned this into a more aggressive, algorithm-driven enterprise. Today, religious content isn’t just shared for devotion-it’s monetized. Platforms like UA-cam allow religious creators to earn ad revenue. Instagram influencers share “spiritual journeys” while casually promoting organic incense or temple tours.
Religion in India has become a brand. Startups now sell meditation apps with premium subscriptions. Lifestyle influencers blend yoga with fitness routines, often divorcing it from its deep philosophical roots. And during every major festival, e-commerce giants flood us with ads for “Diwali special” sales or “Raksha Bandhan exclusive” hampers. The line between devotion and commerce has never been thinner.
Faith Without Depth
One of the most worrying aspects of this trend is how it strips religion of its depth and context. For example, yoga-a profound spiritual and physical discipline with origins in ancient India-has often been reduced to a fitness trend, rebranded as something aesthetic and trendy. Similarly, pujas, which are deeply personal acts of devotion, are now livestreamed, sometimes performed on behalf of followers for a fee. A single click and you can sponsor a Ganga aarti or have a priest chant mantras in your name.
This is not to dismiss the convenience or accessibility that social media provides. For people who live far from their families or traditional religious centers, these innovations can offer a way to stay connected. But the question is: are we engaging with our faith, or just consuming it passively, like any other content on our feeds?
#Cultural Appropriation and the Loss of Meaning
In a country as diverse as India, religion is inherently tied to identity. Yet, the commodification of faith has led to practices being removed from their cultural roots. For instance, elements of Hinduism like mala beads or ayurvedic practices are often marketed without acknowledgment of their origins. Similarly, practices like Sufi qawwali or tribal rituals are repackaged for urban audiences, stripped of their histories and complexities.
In the globalized, digital India, faith often becomes a product, divorced from its original context. It’s not just about what we gain when religion goes online-it’s about what we lose.
As i grew up I was taught a proverb in school that stuck with me for a long time, it was “God helps those who help themselves”. I won’t consider myself very religious but I understand one thing that there’s a flow of energy out there, you just have to be a good human being and you’ll find peace in it
Man, it’s such a powerful proverb and resonates deeply. I completely agree with your point about the flow of energy and how being a good human brings peace. It’s amazing how simple acts of kindness and positivity can create a ripple effect in the world around us🦋
4:18 brooo tere video ke pehle instagram par yeh reel dekhi maine 💀
😂 brain games (niga Higa style)
Sirf ek flag laga tha bike aur bande ne horn bajaya jo ki thik nahi tha...but mera secular bhai ne hindu dharm kaise bullshit hai ispe gyan dena chalu kar diya..waah waah..bhai view ke liye kya kya karna pad raha hai.😅
bhai mere, dono cheezein unrelated hai 😵💫
I would say its not a bad start. Its better if people associate with spirituality than if they associate with terrorists, gangsters, infidelity, adultery etc.
The best example I can think of is that young boys start going to the gym for all the wrong reasons. impressing girls, massaging their ego etc etc. But when some time passes, they see a mix of gains and losses they gain maturity and stick to fitness for the right reasons. to build a strong mind, to build discipline, to forego addictions, to stay healthy. It becomes a lifestyle.
Similarly, most young people barely knew about the depth of Hindu philosophy because of our great leftist post-independence leaders. I still don't know the depth, but I'm at least now aware that something substantial is there!
I see where you're coming from, and I appreciate the perspective you're offering. It's true that people often start their journey into fitness, spirituality, or even philosophy for reasons that may not be entirely "pure" or deeply thought out. But over tim exposure and experience shape their understanding, leading them to more meaningful insights.
I like your gym analogy. many begin with superficial motivations, but with time and discipline, they discover deeper benefits like self-improvement, resilience, and a structured way of life. in the same manner, spirituality can start as a trend or even as a means to an end, but as people engage with it sincerely, they can find real wisdom and depth otherwise it'll be just superficial.
Regarding Hindu philosophy, it's an incredibly vast and profound tradition, packed with diverse schools of thought that offer perspectives on everything from ethics and self-discipline to metaphysics and the nature of consciousness. It's sad that this depth hasn’t been widely appreciated, but at the same time, with growing interest in philosophy and spirituality, there's always an opportunity to explore it further.
I think the key is to approach these topics with an open mind, avoiding both blind acceptance and outright dismissal. Engaging critically and sincerely can lead to real understanding. Really glad to see that you're thinking deeply about these things and you chose to drop this comment 🌼