For Image/Symbol Preaching in the Digital AGE: From Symbol Strategies Recognition to Symbol Interpretation in Facebook Ads
The thesis of this paper is that in the digital age we are moving away from words and concepts characteristic of the print age, towards the use of images and symbols. I distinguish between objective symbols as in mathematics, and cultural symbols as in poetry and religion. Students must learn to mov...
Main Author: | |
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Format: | Electronic Article |
Language: | English |
Check availability: | HBZ Gateway |
Journals Online & Print: | |
Fernleihe: | Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste |
Published: |
MDPI
2023
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In: |
Religions
Year: 2023, Volume: 14, Issue: 2 |
Further subjects: | B
Facebook ads
B Ricoeur’s theory of interpretation B symbol interpretation B symbol recognition |
Online Access: |
Volltext (kostenfrei) Volltext (kostenfrei) |
Summary: | The thesis of this paper is that in the digital age we are moving away from words and concepts characteristic of the print age, towards the use of images and symbols. I distinguish between objective symbols as in mathematics, and cultural symbols as in poetry and religion. Students must learn to move from recognizing the objective rules of language to internalizing the norms of culture, according to the analogy of learning. Ricoeur’s theory of interpretation explains the passage from recognition to interpretation in the cultural sciences. This passage is not only cognitive but also implies the discovery of an experiential dimension, as in poetry and worship. This theory is applied to the findings from religious ads on Facebook. By creating new audiences by trial and error, the number of viewers increased from 1 K to up to 100 K. The analysis revealed that viewers showed little interest in informational and moralistic ads, but favored symbolic presentations of the Passion, the Resurrection, the Transfiguration, the Eucharist, the origin of evil, etc. The conclusion offers guidelines: the need to advertise, to adapt to audiences, to get feedback, and to preach through symbols rather than concepts. |
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ISSN: | 2077-1444 |
Contains: | Enthalten in: Religions
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Persistent identifiers: | DOI: 10.3390/rel14020229 |