Freemasonry 2.0: Adaptations and alterations of a ritual culture on participatory platforms

This article, based largely on empirical research, analyzes Free Masons’ relations with Web 2.0 practices. After highlighting certain ideological convergences between Freemasonry space and cyberspace, the author shows how the Masons use participative digital devices, both internally (through intra-lodge mailing lists or inter-obedience forums reserved for the initiated) and externally (on blogs and social networks available to all Internet users).
This study examines the changes triggered by this take up of participative platforms within a traditional culture that is strongly ritualized and characterized by community bonds, especially those likely to impact the Masons’ sociability and the image of the Order.