Technology and Religion: Research on the Interaction and Acceptance of Digital Taoism Among Adolescents and Young Adults

Amid the growing integration of internet technologies into daily life, digital religion has become an influential medium for spiritual engagement and cultural transmission. Taoism, a vital element of China’s indigenous cultural system, has increasingly found expression. However, the mechanisms driving young people’s adoption of digital Taoism platforms remain underexplored, despite their status as the dominant users of digital technologies. This study extends the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology 2 (UTAUT2) by introducing Cultural Authenticity (CA) and Flow Theory (FT) to better capture culturally embedded and experiential dimensions. Employing a mixed-methods approach that combines Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) with Artificial Neural Networks (ANN), the study analyzes 385 valid survey responses to identify key predictors of adoption intention. The results reveal that Social Influence, Habit, and Flow Theory significantly promote adoption, whereas Cultural Authenticity and Performance Expectancy exhibit no direct effects. Nevertheless, the nuanced interplay among cultural, technological, and experiential factors underscores the complexity of digital religious engagement. These findings enhanced the theoretical understanding of technology adoption among youth in a culturally rooted religious context and offer actionable insights for the sustainable digital development of traditional Chinese culture.