Promoting Religious Tolerance through the Design of a Pictogram Communication System for Digital Peacemakers on Social Networking Sites

The Pew Research Center’s 2014 study of religious hostility showed that participants believed that social networking sites, apart from sharing information and engaging in dialogue, have become convenient sites for the spread of religious intolerance. This situation has created a need to develop tools that can help promote religious tolerance online. In response, while bridging design theory and practice, this research takes a design-solution based approach to building religious tolerance by proposing a pictogram communication system for tolerant users in the comment sections of social networking sites (particularly YouTube).

This design research adopts a practice-based design approach that allows knowledge creation through artistic experimentation (e.g., co-creation) and reflective practice. It investigates the potential of a pictogram communication system to promote religious tolerance by highlighting common grounds between the Abrahamic religions. Put differently, the research demonstrates that a pictogram communication system based on shared beliefs and common values of Abrahamic religions reinforced by some previous understandings of international pictograms can serve as a tool to promote religious tolerance on social networking sites.