Hi, hello, and welcome to Holy Scrollers, a newsletter on how technology shifts and shapes beliefs, belonging, and spirituality. With a particular focus on algorithmically-driven social media, this newsletter will explore how the technological and the spiritual get tangled up and inform each other in a myriad of ways. Under this umbrella, we’ll deep dive into everything from Christian influencers to manifestation content to obsessive wellness rituals to the zealous devotion of fandoms.
What does technology have to do with spirituality?
Though the technological and the spiritual are often seen in binary opposition (objective vs. subjective, logical vs. emotional), they have long been woven together. In the early days of photography, many believed it could capture images of the spirit realm. This projection of supernatural activity onto innovation has persisted from seeing poltergeists in television sets to fears about AI being “haunted.” Often existing beyond the realm of full understanding and containing the power to “change the world” (for good or bad), technology is often seen as possessing or being a conduit for supernatural power. Also, whether you’re a televangelist or a TikTok tarot card reader, there’s a lot of money to be made for spiritual entrepreneurs who are early adopters.
The omnipresence of the internet mediates how people form beliefs and build a sense of belonging because it is fundamentally changing how we connect, who gains authority, what rituals we form, and how we seek fulfillment. Even the way we talk about the internet itself echoes spiritual language. It’s an unseen force that hovers in our mind’s eye and influences our behaviors. In both IRL and URL environments, it’s common to speak about the whims and uncanny knowledge of the algorithm (“it must be listening,” “the algorithm has figured me out”). We even seek to decipher and appease its fickle desires (“posting my face because the algorithm likes that more,” “praying that the algorithm gods make this viral”) and bemoan the algorithm punishing us (“shadowbanning”). As evident in all these collisions, our beliefs influence how we view and use technology and technology influences our beliefs. They are in a tight, symbiotic relationship.
Why are you writing this?
This project exists alongside the research I am doing as a PhD student at the Annenberg School of Communication at the University of Pennsylvania in an effort to stay engaged with a broader audience and find spaces for my thoughts that may not make it to traditional academic venues. Additionally, due to many years working in the media industry and growing up in deeply evangelical communities, I have an endless fascination with how these worlds intersect.
Stay tuned for more, and always feel free to send along questions and curiosities for future deep dives.
Now, in the spirit of our ancestral chain emails, forward this newsletter to 5 friends or face ten years of bad luck.
May your scrolling be blessed,
Sara