PILGRIMAGE AS A SOCIAL AND COMMUNICATION INSTITUTION: FROM TRADITIONAL PRACTICE TO MEDIA PILGRIMAGE IN THE CONTEXT OF HIDDEN MEDIA EFFECTS
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Published:
Apr 30, 2026
Abstract
The article examines pilgrimage as a social and communication institution in the context of transformations driven by digitalization and the development of the media environment (Costantino et al., 2022; George, 2025). The analysis follows the algorithm: pilgrimage as a social and communication institution → media pilgrimage as a form of its implementation → hidden media effects as a deep level of influence. An analytical formula of pilgrimage is proposed, combining spiritual, communicative, institutional, and cultural components. Based on this formula, the model of media pilgrimage as a media-mediated form of performing pilgrimage practices is analyzed. Special attention is given to the study of hidden media effects in the context of media pilgrimage, drawing on the methodological approaches of the Hidden Media Effects Lab under the supervision of Professor V. Rizun. The research demonstrates that media pilgrimage not only expands access to sacred heritage but also shapes latent levels of influence on identity, emotions, and audience behavioral attitudes. The study employs a social and communication approach (according to V. Rizun), within which pilgrimage is considered a stable form of organizing social experience, functioning through communication, symbols, media, and institutional practices (Гаврилець & Різун, 2024; Hidden Media Effects Lab, n.d.).
How to Cite
Panchenko, S. (2026). PILGRIMAGE AS A SOCIAL AND COMMUNICATION INSTITUTION: FROM TRADITIONAL PRACTICE TO MEDIA PILGRIMAGE IN THE CONTEXT OF HIDDEN MEDIA EFFECTS. Academia Polonica, 74(1), 173-183. https://doi.org/10.23856/7421
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Keywords
pilgrimage, social and communication institution, media pilgrimage, hidden media effects, social and communication approach
References
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19. Lundby, K. (2014). Mediatization of Communication. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110272215
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21. Olawuyi, O. S., Raheem, O. W., & Oni, A. S. (2026). Drivers of religious tourism in Nigeria: Spiritual and secular reasons. International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage, 13(4), Article 5. https://arrow.tudublin.ie/ijrtp/vol13/iss4/5
22. Panchenko S., Rizun V. (2024). On the Importance of Communications in the Field of Pilgrimage and Religious Tourism as a Social and Institution. Current Issues of Mass Communication, 35, pp. 22–30. https://doi.org/10.17721/CIMC.2024.35.22-30
23. Panchenko, S. (2025). Digitalization of pilgrimage sites in the modern media space. In Journalism, media, PR and advertising: A contemporary perspective (Conference proceedings, Riga, Latvia). https://doi.org/10.30525/978-9934-26-516-7-4
24. Panchenko, S., & Rizun, V. (2025a). Mediatization of religion: Toward understanding pilgrimage in the digital environment. Current Issues of Mass Communication, 38, 128–141. https://doi.org/10.17721/CIMC.2025.38.128-141
25. Panchenko, S., & Rizun, V. (2025b). Digital cataloguization of pilgrimage: Mediatization and preservation of sacred objects. KELM (Knowledge Education Law Management), 5(11). https://doi.org/10.51647/kelm.2025.5.11
26. Panchenko, S., Litovka-Demenina, S., Zatsepina, N., Berezivska, O., & Yarmolyk, D. (2025). Social institutions and media strategies in the context of religious tourism development. International Journal on Culture, History and Religion, 7(1), 100–114. https://doi.org/10.63931/ijchr.v7iSI1.137
27. Petrova, I., Maraieva, U., Dobrunova, L., Mylenka, H., & Rakityanska, L. (2025). Digital art as a tool for social influence in the modern media space and metaverse. Metaverse: Basic and Applied Research, 4, 116. https://mr.ageditor.ar/index.php/mr/article/view/116
28. Qurashi, J., & Sharpley, R.A. (2018). The Impact of SMART Media Technologies (SMT) on the Spiritual Experience of Hajj Pilgrims. International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage, 6, 6. URL: https://arrow.tudublin.ie/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?params=/context/irtp/article/1042/&path_info=auto_convert.pdf
29. Rachman, Y., & Rosyadi, K. (2024). Synergy practice of religious tourism development in the era of digitalization. E3S Web of Conferences, 499, 01012. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202449901012
30. Rizun, V. V. (2012). Theory of social communications. Institute of Journalism, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. http://journlib.univ.kiev.ua/Do_postanovky_problemy.pdf.
31. Tresnawaty, B., & Risdayah, E. (2024). Integrating intercultural communication and religious tourism: A phenomenology study of cultural worship at Loang Baloq Tomb, Indonesia. Journal of Intercultural Communication, 25(2). https://doi.org/10.36923/jicc.v25i2.1100
32. Turner, V., & Turner, E. (1978). Image and pilgrimage in Christian culture: Anthropological perspectives. Columbia University Press. https://books.google.com/books?id=4a9kAAAAMAAJ
33. Wu, H. C., Chang, Y. Y., & Wu, T. P. (2019). Pilgrimage: What drives pilgrim experiential supportive intentions? Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 38, 66–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2018.11.001
34. Wu, W. (2020). Analysis of digital tourism, virtual tourism and wisdom tourism. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Cyber Security Intelligence and Analytics (pp. 18–25). Springer.
35. Zheng, D., Huang, C., & Oraltay, B. (2023). Digital cultural tourism: Progress and a proposed framework for future research. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 28(3), 234–253. https://doi.org/10.1080/10941665.2023.2217958
2. Allen-Perkins, D. (2025). Sacred Yet Connected? How Contemporary Pilgrims Construct Digital Authenticity on the Camino de Santiago. Social Sciences, 14(11), 634. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci14110634
3. Campbell, H. (2010). When Religion Meets New Media (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203695371
4. Campbell, H.A. (Ed.). (2012). Digital Religion: Understanding Religious Practice in New Media Worlds (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203084861
5. Chatzopoulou, I. (2022). Virtual tourism, virtual reality and technology use: Applications and implications for religious and pilgrimage tourism. In Transcending borders in tourism through innovation and cultural heritage: Proceedings of the 8th International Conference IACuDiT (pp. 1021–1036). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-92491-1_61
6. Costantino, C., Mantini, N., Benedetti, A. C., Bartolomei, C., & Predari, G. (2022). Digital and Territorial Trails System for Developing Sustainable Tourism and Enhancing Cultural Heritage in Rural Areas: The Case of San Giovanni Lipioni, Italy. Sustainability, 14(21), 13982. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142113982
7. Couldry, N. (2007). Pilgrimage in mediaspace: Continuities and transformations. Etnofoor, 20(1), 63–73. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2009.10.016
8. Farooq, M., & Altintas, V. (2022). Role of technology on religious tourism in Turkey. In ICT as innovator between tourism and culture (pp. 67–80). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-7998-8165-0.ch005
9. Gemzöe, L. (2020). In Nature’s Cathedral: Caminoization and Cultural Critique in Swedish Pilgrim Spirituality. Numen, 67(5-6), 483-507. https://doi.org/10.1163/15685276-12341599
10. George, R. (2025). Faith in the digital age: Exploring the changing diaspora of religious tourism. In Technology and religious tourism: Emerging trends, cases and futuristic perspectives (pp. 119–137). Emerald Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1108/978-1-83662-260-420251009
11. Gonçalves, A. R., Dorsch, L. L. P., & Figueiredo, M. (2022). Digital tourism: An alternative view on cultural intangible heritage and sustainability in Tavira, Portugal. Sustainability, 14(5), 2912. https://doi.org/10.3390/su14052912
12. Hidden Media Effects Lab. (n.d.). Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. https://www.researchgate.net/lab/Hidden-Media-Effects-Lab-Volodymyr-Rizun
13. Hjarvard, S. (2008). The mediatization of religion: A theory of the media as agents of religious change. Northern Lights: Film & Media Studies Yearbook, 6(1), 9-26. https://doi.org/10.1386/nl.6.1.9_1
14. Johannsen, D., & Ohrvik, A. (2020). How to be a pilgrim: Guidebooks on the Norwegian St. Olav Ways and the heritagization of religion. Numen, 67(5–6), 508–536. https://brill.com/view/journals/nu/67/5-6/article-p508_4.xml
15. Jorge, A. (2023). Pilgrimage to Fátima and Santiago after COVID: Dis/connection in the post-digital age. Mobile Media & Communication, 11(3), 549-565. https://doi.org/10.1177/20501579221151041
16. Kalia, P., Mladenović, D., & Acevedo-Duque, Á. (2022). Decoding the trends and the emerging research directions of digital tourism in the last three decades: A bibliometric analysis. SAGE Open, 12(4). https://doi.org/10.1177/21582440221128179
17. Kanaan Amat, M., Crous-Costa, N., & Aulet, S. (2019). Interpretation tools for religious heritage. In Tourism, pilgrimage and intercultural dialogue: Interpreting sacred stories (pp. 85–95). CAB International. https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/book/10.1079/9781789241129.0000
18. Kim, B., Kim, S., & King, B. (2020). Religious tourism studies: Evolution, progress, and future prospects. Tourism Recreation Research, 45(2), 185–203. https://doi.org/10.1080/02508281.2019.1664084
19. Lundby, K. (2014). Mediatization of Communication. Berlin, Boston: De Gruyter Mouton. https://doi.org/10.1515/9783110272215
20. Martino, L. M. S. (2012). Mediação e midiatização da religião em suas articulações teóricas e práticas: Um levantamento de hipóteses e problemáticas. In Mediação & midiatização (pp. 219–244). EDUFBA. URL: https://repositorio.ufba.br/ri/bitstream/ri/6187/1/MIDIATIZACAO_repositorio.pdf
21. Olawuyi, O. S., Raheem, O. W., & Oni, A. S. (2026). Drivers of religious tourism in Nigeria: Spiritual and secular reasons. International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage, 13(4), Article 5. https://arrow.tudublin.ie/ijrtp/vol13/iss4/5
22. Panchenko S., Rizun V. (2024). On the Importance of Communications in the Field of Pilgrimage and Religious Tourism as a Social and Institution. Current Issues of Mass Communication, 35, pp. 22–30. https://doi.org/10.17721/CIMC.2024.35.22-30
23. Panchenko, S. (2025). Digitalization of pilgrimage sites in the modern media space. In Journalism, media, PR and advertising: A contemporary perspective (Conference proceedings, Riga, Latvia). https://doi.org/10.30525/978-9934-26-516-7-4
24. Panchenko, S., & Rizun, V. (2025a). Mediatization of religion: Toward understanding pilgrimage in the digital environment. Current Issues of Mass Communication, 38, 128–141. https://doi.org/10.17721/CIMC.2025.38.128-141
25. Panchenko, S., & Rizun, V. (2025b). Digital cataloguization of pilgrimage: Mediatization and preservation of sacred objects. KELM (Knowledge Education Law Management), 5(11). https://doi.org/10.51647/kelm.2025.5.11
26. Panchenko, S., Litovka-Demenina, S., Zatsepina, N., Berezivska, O., & Yarmolyk, D. (2025). Social institutions and media strategies in the context of religious tourism development. International Journal on Culture, History and Religion, 7(1), 100–114. https://doi.org/10.63931/ijchr.v7iSI1.137
27. Petrova, I., Maraieva, U., Dobrunova, L., Mylenka, H., & Rakityanska, L. (2025). Digital art as a tool for social influence in the modern media space and metaverse. Metaverse: Basic and Applied Research, 4, 116. https://mr.ageditor.ar/index.php/mr/article/view/116
28. Qurashi, J., & Sharpley, R.A. (2018). The Impact of SMART Media Technologies (SMT) on the Spiritual Experience of Hajj Pilgrims. International Journal of Religious Tourism and Pilgrimage, 6, 6. URL: https://arrow.tudublin.ie/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?params=/context/irtp/article/1042/&path_info=auto_convert.pdf
29. Rachman, Y., & Rosyadi, K. (2024). Synergy practice of religious tourism development in the era of digitalization. E3S Web of Conferences, 499, 01012. https://doi.org/10.1051/e3sconf/202449901012
30. Rizun, V. V. (2012). Theory of social communications. Institute of Journalism, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. http://journlib.univ.kiev.ua/Do_postanovky_problemy.pdf.
31. Tresnawaty, B., & Risdayah, E. (2024). Integrating intercultural communication and religious tourism: A phenomenology study of cultural worship at Loang Baloq Tomb, Indonesia. Journal of Intercultural Communication, 25(2). https://doi.org/10.36923/jicc.v25i2.1100
32. Turner, V., & Turner, E. (1978). Image and pilgrimage in Christian culture: Anthropological perspectives. Columbia University Press. https://books.google.com/books?id=4a9kAAAAMAAJ
33. Wu, H. C., Chang, Y. Y., & Wu, T. P. (2019). Pilgrimage: What drives pilgrim experiential supportive intentions? Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Management, 38, 66–81. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhtm.2018.11.001
34. Wu, W. (2020). Analysis of digital tourism, virtual tourism and wisdom tourism. In Proceedings of the International Conference on Cyber Security Intelligence and Analytics (pp. 18–25). Springer.
35. Zheng, D., Huang, C., & Oraltay, B. (2023). Digital cultural tourism: Progress and a proposed framework for future research. Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 28(3), 234–253. https://doi.org/10.1080/10941665.2023.2217958
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