Social Networking & Cyberspirituality- Towards a Theology of Networks (Christian Heritage Rediscovered-50)

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About the Book Social Networking sites have become the new talk of the town. These sites help the people to connect each other at case; thereby facilitating solutions of various social and ethical problems. The research is done in search of the implications that have come to the society as living principles of cyberspace.

Christian theology seriously considers the Bible as one of the primary sources of theology. The theological response that stems from the biblical account looks at God as a communicating God. God, "the prime communicator". This study focuses mainly on the implications of the social networking sites in general and Facebook in particular. An ethical and theological resolution is made on the basis of the research. It exclusively deals with the ethics of cyberspace and the theology of social networking. God connects with people and let others connect with. Thus, the research ends up with the ethical and theological position that can be weighed by reinterpreting the presence of God in the cyber relationships.

About the Author Rev. Jim M. R. Paul is an ordained presbyter of Church of South India, South Kerala Diocese. He did his post graduation in English from Kerala University; B.D. from Serampore College, Kolkata and M.Th. from TTS, Madurai in the year 2012.

After serving as a parish priest for about six years he was deputed to the healing ministry of CMC Hospital, Vellore. Since 2013, he serves there as a Hospital Chaplain.

He is married to Sunaja who is a school teacher and they are blessed with two lovely children Dan and Diya.

Foreword The world is one large village interconnected above the surface by what is called the Internet. From the Internet has germinated social media which has taken the world by storm. If one were to make the wireless connections at any point in time visible and opaque, the surface of the earth would not be seen from outer space. Social media today is easily the most common form of communication. It has made the world a smaller place. Communication is instant.

Notwithstanding all these, the larger impact of social media on human behaviour remains unknown. The consequence of obsessive, gadget dependent, social interaction may be causing a paradoxical un-social behaviour pattern. The intrusion into privacy and personal time may be deleterious as well. Rev. Jim M R Paul's book is therefore very timely and serves as a trigger for detailed examination of this phenomenon. I wish him all the very best as he invokes deeper thinking of social media through the pages of this book.

Preface Boyd and Ellison define social network sites as web-based services that allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system. (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. Social networking websites promote users to articulate and make visible their social networks. Key goals of those websites users are not essentially to meet new people; instead, they are primarily communicating with people who are already a part of their extended social network. Although social networking websites have employed a wide variety of technical features, their backbone consists of visible profiles that display an articulated list of Friends who are also users of the system. The nature and nomenclature of these connections may vary from site to site.

While we use the term "social network site" to describe this phenomenon, the term "social networking sites" also appears in public discourse, and the two terms are often used interchangeably. We chose not to employ the term "networking" for two reasons: emphasis and scope. "Networking" emphasizes relationship initiation, often between strangers. While networking is possible on these sites, it is not the primary practice on many of them, nor is it what differentiates them from other forms of computer-mediated communication (CMC).

Facebook is most often labeled as a social networking site. Social networking sites, according to Ellison, are "online spaces where individuals are allowed to present themselves, articulate their social networks, and establish or maintain connections to others, and also states that profiles, friends, public comments differentiate social networking sites". Zuckerberg himself describes Facebook as a social utility, a way to communicate more effectively with friends, family, and co-workers. Facebook is, as he states, a way to share information through the "social graph"- a term that Zuckerberg defines as a digital map of our real world connections. The network feature of Facebook distinguishes it from other social networking sites where users typically meet new people online and then move toward offline friendship, the pattern of which was also found in online friendships from older discussion group formats.

Introduction The first useful Internet service for the masses was email. Then came the first of the graphical web in the form of websites. Today, this vast network has grown into a truly worldwide web that is accessible to ordinary users, turning the Internet into a mainstream phenomenon. Access to the Internet can be found at home, cybercafes, offices, Internet kiosks, and anywhere else where there is a meeting of people for social or business purpose. What assists Internet usage growth even more is the expansion of devices such as desktop computers, notebooks and smartphones. Thus, not only has it grown in popularity but it has grown into a necessity in our everyday lives. Social networking sites, as web-based services that allow individuals to (1) construct a public or semi-public profile within a bounded system, (2) articulate a list of other users with whom they share a connection, and (3) view and traverse their list of connections and those made by others within the system. Most sites support the maintenance of pre-existing social networks, but others help strangers to connect based on shared interests, political views, or activities. Some sites cater to diverse audiences, while others attract people based on common language or shared racial, sexual, religious, or nationality-based identities. Sites also vary in the extent to which they incorporate new information and communication tools, such as mobile connectivity, blogging, and photo/ video-sharing. Hence, social networking sites play an important role in decision making process of the present information society.

Basic Framework of the Research Social Networking site is one among all the websites in Cyberspace, where people connect each other at ease; where there is social and ethical problems like Virtual personality, Anonymity, and Multiple personality, which are faced by its users. The research is done in search of the implications that have come to the society as living principles of cyberspace.

**Contents and Sample Pages**