The hybrid authenticity of virtual pilgrimage

The complex relationship between religion and markets deserves nuanced scholarly reflection and observation. The continuing explosion of online or digital expressions of religion invites researchers to consider the authenticity of virtual pilgrimage experience, for which it is situated at the intersections between religious and marketing studies that allows various dimensions of authenticity to take place. The key contribution of this conceptual paper lies in its development and application of a ‘Hybrid authenticity’ framework which helps explain the consumer-congregants’ development of perceived authenticity of virtual pilgrimage. This framework invites a shift in focus towards the prioritization of iconic-authenticity cues that facilitates a much more ‘liquid’ attachment to object-based authenticity. It also emphasizes the importance of place as an element of constructive authenticity in interpreting pilgrims’ experience and the vital contribution of integrating both interpersonal and intrapersonal authenticity. We suggest the mechanism of this hybrid framework is defined by the interdependence between its elements. We also discuss the two underlying conditions for the mechanism; technology working as an embodied site of interaction and consumer (re)negotiation of authenticity. Viewing virtual pilgrimage as part of a broader social and cultural transformation, we propose the framework also has applicability to other marketing and post-postmodern consumption studies.