RELIGIOUS COMMUNICATION IN THE INFORMATION SPACE OF THE CONTEMPORARY USA: DISCURSIVE PRACTICES AND CIVIL SOCIETY

Abstract

The article is devoted to a comprehensive analysis of the transformation of religious communication in the information space of the modern USA and its impact on the discursive practices of civil society. The focus is on the information strategies of religious institutions as subjects of civil society, their role in constructing public narratives, and their influence on communication processes at the federal, state, and local levels. The relevance of the study is determined by the need to understand how, in the conditions of the information society and the post-secular turn, religious discourse adapts to the logic of digital media, what new communication strategies religious actors develop, and how these processes are reflected in the interaction of civil society institutions, the state, and the population.
The United States of America represents a unique case for such analysis, as being one of the most technologically developed societies with a high level of penetration of information and communication technologies, the USA simultaneously maintains a high level of religiosity and the public role of religion, which creates a tense field for studying the interaction of traditional religious narratives, new media formats, and discursive practices of civil society.
Based on content analysis of information resources, discourse analysis of public speeches by religious leaders, and data from sociological research, key aspects are examined politicization of religious discourse. Special attention is paid to how religious discursive practices in the information space become a resource both for the consolidation of civil society and for the polarization of public dialogue. The conclusion formulates findings on the transformation of religious communication as an indicator of changes in the discursive practices of civil society in the information age. Based on the analysis of American experience, recommendations are offered for Ukraine in the context of post-war reconstruction, decentralization, and European integration.