Moral Drift and Sacred Reconfigurations: Rethinking Values and Religious Practices in Digitally Mediated Worlds

This study examines how digitalization—particularly through immersive environments such as the metaverse—transforms moral values and religious practices. As digital technologies reshape traditional value systems, two interrelated phenomena come to the fore: moral drift, the erosion of ethical boundaries within algorithmically governed spaces, and sacred reconfigurations, the restructuring of worship, pilgrimage, and ritual practices through virtual platforms. Drawing on interdisciplinary scholarship, this conceptual analysis explores three critical dimensions: the impact of social media on value formation and the commodification of identity; the relationship between digital dependency and moral dislocation; and the transformation of sacred practices in virtual environments. The study argues that digitalization does not merely mediate religious experience but actively reconfigures it—by reshaping ritual performance, redefining sacred spaces, and renegotiating religious authority. While digital platforms offer unprecedented accessibility and inclusivity, they also entail significant risks, including the commodification of spirituality, the fragmentation of communal worship, and the subordination of moral judgment to algorithmic logics that prioritize engagement over ethical substance. By offering a critical framework for understanding how human values and sacred experience are being reshaped in technologically saturated societies, this research contributes to ongoing debates on digital ethics and virtual religiosity.