Report: Internet spirituality is a new type of religion embraced by young Americans

When people feel powerless in the face of evil, they tend to choose narratives that provide a simple answer to the cause of the horror in the world.

In a report published by the American " Vox " website , writer Rebecca Jennings talked about a video posted by a user of the "TikTok" application, Evelyn Juarez, following the tragedy that occurred at the singer Travis Scott's party in early November. As a result of the crowds stampede, 8 people died and more than 300 people were injured. Juarez considered the party space to have a symbolic, demonic dimension.

The writer stated that Evelyn Juarez, 25, is very popular on Tik Tok, with a following of 1.4 million followers. Her videos focus on conspiracy theories and true crimes, such as the murder of Gabi Pettito, Lil Nas X's "Devil's Boots", or the theory that many world governments are hiding information about Antarctica.

She adds that Juarez's beliefs are reminiscent of ideas circulating on the Internet such as "negative waves", evil spirits, or a looming global catastrophe that the government is trying to hide from us.

Although she was raised in a Christian family, Juarez says that her relationship with God has transcended the organized religious framework since she was 19 years old, and she currently considers herself a spiritual person, like many young people who are working to shape and refine their ideas online, where they talk about their dreams and anonymous sex traffickers. who install tracking devices in women's cars.

Some of these young men imitate prophets or shamans (religious magicians who say they have the power to overcome fire and can get things done through séances in which their souls leave their bodies to other worlds) by spreading the good word and guiding potential believers, while some may not go beyond The other limits the comments.

The writer pointed out that some young people may believe in all or some of what is circulated on the Internet, and perhaps the most important part of the spirituality of the Internet is that it is subject to selection and selection, and they believe that it is important to be open to everything.

According to Joseph Russo, professor of anthropology at Wesleyan University, the network of unconnected beliefs on the Internet combined to form a private religion that could be called a religion of “just asking questions” or a religion of “doing your own research,” he says.

He believes that this trend is still in its infancy, and it has developed in an attempt to correct a societal mistake based on the belief that the world is a very bad place and the current system cannot handle it, so perhaps there is something else going on that the mind cannot comprehend.

The so-called “internet religion” has reached its climax in the violence that the world witnessed, the most prominent example of this is the riots linked to the conspiracy theories promoted by the “QAnon” movement - an American Yemeni political extremist movement that believes in conspiracy theories - Which took place on the sixth of last January, when supporters of former US President Donald Trump stormed the White House due to their dissatisfaction with the results of the presidential elections, and the conspiracy theories surrounding vaccines.

The author touched on astrology, which has gained wide popularity over the past decade, and the renewed interest in holistic medical practices. These beliefs are cast as an exception to normal cosmic rules, meaning that even if the data indicate that violent crime rates have fallen dramatically since the 1990s, the individual remains at much greater risk than they were last year.

In 2020, it turns out that the majority of Americans do not belong to any religion or religious institution, unlike the 70% recorded between the 1930s and the early 21st century. Americans, especially young people, say they are not religious. But this classification does not reflect the whole truth.

The writer mentioned that the "internet religion" raises many questions, including "What is the harm in faith?" and “Why should I not prepare for the worst?”, and the deeper you dig, the more difficult it is to answer these questions.

The writer attributes this phenomenon to the legacy of the Puritans, who contributed to the consolidation of the principle of individuality, piety, and hard work at the expense of anything else. Perhaps they result from the frequent phenomena of the Great Awakening led by the Protestants that have always been present in US history, social movements that heralded the importance of a personal relationship with God outside of religious rituals and organized ceremonies.

According to Mary Raine, a professor of economics at the University of the West of England who studies neoliberalism and religion, the idea is to “improve yourself, your health, and your circumstances.” This idea eventually culminated with “prosperity theology” known for its charismatic leaders who preach financial wealth and engage in mass protest. Broad, meaning that in order to achieve positive things in your life, all you have to do is pretend that they are already there.

Ren explained that this idea began to flourish during periods of economic crisis. And the hypothetical portability of this message is what makes people believe in prosperity theology even if they are not churchgoers.

The same can be said of the Internet, as spiritual trends evolve as well as cultural and political ones.

Anthropology professor Rousseau believes that as social media has become the dominant cultural force in our societies, ideologies are spreading among people with different beliefs and backgrounds. He explains that the "religion of the Internet" is "a mixture of different Christian and non-Western beliefs and aesthetics, but things like good, evil, and prosperity exist in all religious systems around the world. Most atheists still care about morality."

The writer pointed out that these dualities espoused by the spirituality of the Internet, such as good and evil, satanic and angelic, abundance and poverty, are prevalent in various aspects of culture, and not only in the religious context.

Juarez joined the TikTok platform during a difficult period, especially in early 2019, when she fell into depression after being forced to drop out of college, and after searching for a place to vent her anger. Although she was raised in a religious family, her beliefs are different from those of her parents. "A lot of young people look for God in a different way. They move away from their religious backgrounds and have an actual relationship with God," she says.

Abby Richards, a 25-year-old disinformation researcher, posted videos on TikTok about how conspiracy theories are spreading online. She regularly works with scientists to debunk harmful myths and download them into context.

And I've noticed how chaotic current events — such as the Astroworld tragedy, the coronavirus, and a disruptive job market — are driving users of this platform into tumultuous conversations about spirituality, regardless of their ideological or political leanings.

"There is a collective sense that the world is coming to an end, whether it is through talk of climate change, the rapture, the return of Christ, wealth inequality, or Satanism," she says.

She added that when people feel helpless in the face of evil, they tend to choose narratives that provide a simple answer to why the world is so terrifying. In the case of the Astroworld stampede, the organizers did not do enough to save people, but rather profit over human health and safety.

The Internet offers endless answers to this type of question, given the way it works. For example, Tik Tok displays a group of consecutive videos with related content, and due to the short duration of those videos, which often do not exceed 3 minutes or less, users can watch more than 100 clips in the same amount of time that it would take to watch one video on “Tik Tok.” The YouTube". Naturally, the speed with which an idea spreads is related to its simplicity.