Di Di · Sociologist & author
How belief and technology shape our lives.
I study religion, technology, and social inequality in China and the United States—asking how people find meaning, make ethical choices, and navigate a changing world.
Associate Professor of Sociology
Santa Clara University
Rutgers University Press · 2026
New book · 2026
Divine Meets Digital
Tech Workers and Religion
in the U.S. and China
What does religion mean to the people building our technological future? Drawing on 98 interviews in Silicon Valley and Shenzhen, I explore how tech workers engage with faith, spirituality, and ethics—even when they describe themselves as nonreligious.
“Divine Meets Digital is the book that we have been waiting for.”
Elaine Howard Ecklund · Rice University
From the publisher’s advance praise
Research themes
Belief, belonging,
and a changing world.
Through surveys, interviews, and ethnography, I examine how social contexts shape what people believe and how they live.
Religion & technology
Ethics · Work · MeaningHow do tech workers draw on religious and nonreligious worldviews to navigate work and ethical choices?
02Digital religion
& influencers
Authority · Authenticity · TrustHow do online creators build authority, and what happens when people turn to social media for spiritual guidance?
03AI, work & meaning
Spirituality · Ethics · AuthorityHow might artificial intelligence reshape spiritual experience, moral responsibility, and the search for meaning?
04Buddhism across borders
Identity · Community · ContextHow do national contexts shape Buddhist identities, practices, and communities in China and the United States?
05Gender & inequality
Science · Religion · InstitutionsHow do institutions and cultural contexts shape gender inequality in scientific and religious life?
Selected publications
From the research.
Inclusion or Exclusion?: Tech Workers’ Views on Religion in the Tech Workplace in China and the United States
Read the article Big Data & Society · 2025Navigating Ethical Boundaries: Subtle Agency and Compliance Among Tech Workers in China and the United States
Read the articleFeatured conversation
Santa Clara University
News & Ideas
May 2026
How technology is changing the way we engage with religion
Read the interviewMedia & speaking
Let’s bring research
into the conversation.
I welcome interviews, podcasts, book discussions, and talks for academic and public audiences. These are a few places we might begin.
- 01Religion, ethics, and the people building technology
- 02Digital religion, influencers, and AI
- 03Meditation, meaning, and work
- 04Human enhancement and the limits of technology
For journalists & event organizers