Reimagining Interfaith Futures: Youth, Multimodality, and the Semiotics of Hope in a Polarized World

Abstract

In an era of escalating global polarization, youth from Christian, Muslim, and other faith traditions are harnessing multimodal digital resources to construct hopeful interfaith futures. This qualitative metasynthesis synthesizes 14 peer-reviewed studies published between 2015 and 2023 that explore how young people aged 15–30 deploy visual, textual, sonic, gestural, and performative modes across social media platforms to reimagine Christian–Muslim and broader interfaith relations. Grounded in social semiotics (Kress & van Leeuwen, 2006) and transnationalism theory (Appadurai, 1996; Levitt & Schiller, 2004), the study conceptualizes “semiotics of hope” as the deliberate redesign of religious symbols, rituals, and digital aesthetics into multimodal ensembles that signal possibility, relationality, and collective becoming beyond conflict paradigms. Following a six-phase reciprocal translation process (Noblit & Hare, 1988; Lachal et al., 2017), the metasynthesis integrates findings from studies conducted in Europe, North America, Southeast Asia, and sub-Saharan Africa using interviews, digital ethnography, and multimodal content analysis. Three core themes emerge: (1) multimodal redesign of sacred symbols into hybrid icons of hope; (2) performative and narrative strategies that enact interfaith futures through collaborative rituals, storytelling, and counter-narratives; and (3) navigation of algorithmic polarization and structural constraints while sustaining hopeful semiotic agency. Youth consistently prioritize relational hope and everyday coexistence over doctrinal agreement. This metasynthesis positions youth as active semiotic agents who reimagine interfaith futures through multimodality. It contributes to semiotics, digital religion, peacebuilding, and futures studies by theorizing hope as a multimodal practice. Implications for youth-centered digital literacy, interfaith education, and platform governance are discussed. Limitations include urban sample bias and the evolving digital landscape. Future research should adopt longitudinal and participatory designs.