Sarit Okun is a Ph.D. student at the Department of Communication Studies at Ben-Gurion University, Israel. She has obtained her B.A. in Communication Studies from Sapir Academic College and M.A. in Communication Studies from Ben-Gurion University – both with honors. Mrs. Okun’s academic training focuses on media and spirituality. Relying on five months of netnographic observations, her M.A. thesis explored the characteristics a leading online ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, and her Ph.D. research examines whether and how online religion and spirituality contribute to the quality of life in old age. Combining active research and netnography, this study follows a group of twenty homebound elders trained to use three central online religious platforms (online classes, rabbinical consultation, and online communities) and explores users’ experiences, perceptions, and emotions, as well as the impact of the online activities on their personal, social and spiritual wellbeing
Keywords: Aging, Audience Research, New media, Online Religion, Spirituality, Wellbeing