My Research on Technology and Young Adults' Religious Practice Is Now Published at CSCW

I am happy to share that our paper, "Between Scaffolding and Self-Direction: Technology Use in Young Adults' Religious Practice," was published in the CSCW Companion '26 proceedings on October 10, 2026. CSCW is the ACM conference on Computer-Supported Cooperative Work and Social Computing, held this year in Salt Lake City, Utah.

This project was a team effort with my co-authors at Brigham Young University: Spencer Taylor, Tayzia Slade, Hannah Taylor, Gracee Putnam, Xinru Page, and Amanda Lee Hughes. You can read the paper here

The paper in plain language

When young adults move out and start living on their own, many lose the built-in supports that once shaped their religious lives, such as family routines, parents' encouragement, and a familiar congregation. At the same time, they turn to phones, apps, and online tools to stay focused, find answers, and stay connected.

We held five design workshops with 35 young adults at a private religious university and asked how they use technology in their faith and what they wish it could do. Four concerns came up again and again: distractions that break up time for prayer and study, religious study materials scattered across many places, the pressure of joining a new religious community without feeling watched, and uncertainty about how much to rely on AI for spiritual questions. Participants sketched paper prototypes of tools to address each one.

The main takeaway is that technology can help, but the best tools protect what makes religious practice meaningful: intention, accountability, privacy, trusted sources, and personal judgment.

Thank you to everyone who took part in the workshops and to the reviewers whose feedback strengthened the paper.