Using provocation to boost reach?

Christian fundamentalist and right-wing influencers on social media
Madlen Geidel (FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg)

This presentation examines the social media presence of religious and right-wing populist actors in German-speaking countries. It focuses on the digital presentation of topics such as sexual ethics, gender and social order. Using the example of the channel ‘Ketzer der Neuzeit’ (Heretics of the Modern Age), the presentation analyses how religious content is adapted to the logic of social media platforms through provocation, emotionalisation and scandalisation. Through netnography and video analysis, it demonstrates that this gives rise to new, non-institutional forms of religious authority and personalised interpretations.

Moderation: Univ.-Prof. Dr. Michael Bongardt (University of Siegen)

This lecture is part of the Bavarian Interreligious College (BIK), the lecture series organised by the Bavarian Research Centre for Interreligious Discourse (BaFID) at FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg. The theme for the 2026/2027 winter semester is: “Follow Me! Religious Self-Presentation on Social Media”.