Spiritual and Religious Information Practices: Lessons from the Field

ABSTRACT This panel centers on presentations that address examples of spiritual and/or religious experiences through an information lens. The panelists will initiate a timely conversation about the ways in which individuals and communities make sense of their information worlds post pandemic and in contexts of high uncertainty (e.g., climate anxiety, increased polarization, AI developments, etc.). In examining coping strategies of the spiritual and/or religious kinds, the panel brings together scholars in a range of information fields to address several of the conference's themes, including new theoretical conceptualizations of the cultural, social, cognitive, affective, and situational aspects of information needs, searching, use, and sharing. As well, the session's examined contexts of everyday lived religion and spirituality can enrich our understanding of the intersections between health and well‐being, socio‐technical arrangements, and evolving and diverse information practices. The short presentations and interactive engagement bring together an international group of emerging and established scholars into conversation and will coalesce into the formulation of a research agenda on this topic. Speakers’ interventions will revolve around three connected questions: How can religious and spiritual experiences be theoretically contextualized within Information Science? What research approaches are most suitable for exploring spirituality/religion in our digital networked world? What ethical challenges do researchers encounter in undertaking this type of research (especially during a pandemic) and how can they be effectively addressed?