Social media has become a part of everyday life, including the faith lives of many. It is a space that assumes an observing gaze. Engaging with Foucauldian notions of surveillance, self-regulation, and normalisation, this paper considers what it is about social and digital culture that shapes expectations of what users can or want to do in online spaces. Drawing upon a wide range of surveillance research, it reflects upon what “surveillance” looks like within social media, especially when users understand themselves to be observed in the space. Recognising moral panics around technological development, the paper considers the development of social norms and questions how self-regulation by users presents itself within a global population. Focusing upon the spiritual formation of Christian users (disciples) in an online environment as a case study of a community of practice, the paper draws particularly upon the author’s experiences online since 1997 and material from The Big Bible Project (CODEC 2010–2015). The research demonstrates how the lived experience of the individual establishes the interconnectedness of the online and offline environments. The surveillant affordances and context collapse are liberating for some users but restricting for others in both their faith formation and the subsequent imperative to mission.

中文翻译：

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社交媒体，同伴监视，精神形成和使命：在受监视的公共场所实践基督教信仰

社交媒体已成为日常生活的一部分，其中包括许多人的信仰生活。它是一个带有观察注视的空间。结合Foucauldian的监视，自我调节和规范化概念，本文考虑了社会和数字文化的本质，它塑造了用户对在线空间可以或想要做什么的期望。借助广泛的监视研究，它反映了社交媒体中“监视”的外观，特别是当用户了解自己在太空中被观察时。认识到围绕技术发展的道德恐慌，本文考虑了社会规范的发展，并质疑用户的自我调节在全球人口中如何表现出来。本文以在线社区中基督教徒（门徒）的精神形成作为实践社区的案例研究为重点，特别借鉴了作者自1997年以来的在线经历以及《大圣经》计划（CODEC 2010-2015）的资料。该研究表明个人的生活经验如何建立在线和离线环境的互连性。监视能力和上下文崩溃对于某些用户而言是解放的，但对于其他用户而言，在信仰形成和随后执行任务时都受到限制。该研究表明个人的生活经验如何建立在线和离线环境的互连性。监视能力和上下文崩溃对于某些用户而言是解放的，但对于其他用户而言，在信仰形成和随后执行任务时都受到限制。该研究表明个人的生活经验如何建立在线和离线环境的互连性。监视能力和上下文崩溃对于某些用户而言是解放的，但对于其他用户而言，在信仰形成和随后执行任务时都受到限制。