Is Your Feed a Cult Pipeline?
The Impact of Social Media on New Religious Movements
Introduction
With the advent of social media in the early 2000s, the spread of misinformation and alternative modes of thinking — such as conspiracism and New Religious Movements — have risen noticeably. This has led to violent events such as the January 6th insurrections, as well as a boom in online communities such as the Conspirituality movement. The hallmarks of social platforms have made this form of media a great success. For example, highly sensitive algorithms, echo chambers, and the accessibility for anyone to post almost anything. However, these same strengths are dangerous contributors to the spread of fringe ideas.
Some believe that social media has the power to brainwash us. While brainwashing is a highly debated concept, in this episode we investigate the ability of social media to influence the way we think. Much of the previous discussion on this topic has focused on how social media creates an environment that facilitates the spread of ideas and, in some cases, the indoctrination into extreme groups. However, in this episode, we look at this from a different angle; one where social media is not the cause but rather the tool used. How do new religious movement groups employ social media as a tool to spread ideas, influence minds to be accepting of them, and even gain new members?
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"The people who have correct information, who take science seriously… need to speak up more because the other side that just keeps putting out misinformation and disinformation seems to be tireless in that effort"
- Dr. Anthony Fauci
The Misinformation Pandemic
With the world shocked by the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been a shock in the global news network. While social media and news sites have been technological miracles for spreading information across the world for the past two decades, this has led to an increase in the spread of misinformation as well. Fear over the pandemic has paved way for fear-mongering, which, for many, is the act of speaking up and making false claims surrounding the legitimacy of the virus and its vaccine. According to a New York Times article, A Lasting of Covid, the United States Medical Chief Advisor to the President, Dr. Anthony Fauci, prompted many people to fight against the constant false health information that followed the pandemic. Measuring the amount of misinformation is nearly impossible but studies have shown that 5 to 30% of people who did not get vaccinated have fallen ill to believing the aforementioned false information. If information can spread and sway public opinion so easily, what is stopping cults from doing the same to encourage people in joining them?
The 'Brainwashing' Dilemma
Brainwashing was first introduced in the 1950s during the early days of the Cold War. Commonly used to "make sense" of those prisoners of war who have defected from their country, brainwashing is commonly known as a successful method of indoctrination and persuasion today. The broken telephone of the concept has led people far from the original belief that it is a cultural construct rather than a set of techniques.
Dark Persuasion
Joel E. Dimsdale
In Dark Persuasion, Joel Dimsdale traces the history of brainwashing back to the '50s and scrutinizes its evolution from then up until the modern day. Dimsdale claims that social media may have a pose a massive threat to the public from a brainwashing perspective.
Case Study: Scientology
Public Perception of Scientology
Since its inception, the Church of Scientology has had its fair share of criticism, as well as high-profile proponents. The most familiar names are that of Tom Cruise, Elizabeth Moss (of Hulu's The Handmaid's Tale), and John Travolta, at one time. These famous figures have publicly shared how Scientology has improved their lives, and voice support for the organization.
However, in recent years, many former members have left the faith, some of which have exposed scandals, launched lawsuits, and written tell-all books. Jenna Miscavige, the niece of Scientology's leader David Miscavige, wrote her book Beyond Belief in which she detailed abuse and isolation suffered by those in the higher ranks of the organization. In 2015, the HBO documentary Going Clear exposed new and shocking revelations about the Scientology, its foundation, and its current practices. In particular, allegations of intimidation, physical abuse, forced labour, imprisonment and more are made about David Miscavige and his inner circle. This documentary brought the discussion into the forefront of the public's, and the media's, minds. Saturday Night Live even made a parody video in reference to the series.
Scientology is an organization shrouded in mystery, which does not help in its battle against negative public perception. For many years, they have carefully guarded details about their beliefs and practices that are only accessible to higher-ranking members. But Scientology is very much aware of how they are viewed by many in the public. In response, they have launched the Scientology Network, which creates promotional documentaries of all kinds that portray Scientology in a positive light.
Donald Westbrook writes that Scientology uses its members as soldiers in its "PR War." This can be seen in the "Social Media Toolkits" they provide for every documentary made, which include downloadable wallpapers, hashtags, images and pre-written captions for scientologists to promote each film "all across social media."
Addictive Algorithms
There are over 3.78 billion social media users worldwide according to a Stanford University study, so what keeps us coming back to platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and TikTok?
It may not inherently be brainwashing, but it does involve how our brains react to these platforms. According to psychiatrists, when users are rewarded with likes, notifications, comments, etc, it keeps them engaged with the content. Receiving a “like” elicits the same dopamine pathways involved in motivation, reward, and addiction.
Even the content users are presented with is designed to keep them on the platform for as long as possible. By using techniques like data mining, your feed is showing you content related to things you have interacted with before. This practice is becoming increasingly controversial, with Facebook coming under fire for the heavy weighting of “meaningful social interactions” which is content that generates strong reactions. Thus, amplifying divisive content, hate speech, and misinformation on the platform.
Echo Chambers on the Internet
The nature of social media algorithms have the tendency to create echo chambers. Feeds are curated to display content that the user is likely to enjoy or agree with. This suppresses content with opposing views, therefore creating the illusion that everyone seems to have this perspective and reinforces the idea in the user's mind. TikTok's For You Page, Facebook groups, and online forums like Reddit are all examples. Echo chambers can be dangerous, as they remove opportunities for dangerous ideas to be challenged. In the most extreme cases, this can lead to violent events like mass shootings. For example, the 18-year-old shooter that killed 10 people at a grocery store in Buffalo in May 2022 was an active member in extreme pages on sites like Discord, 4Chan, and Twitch.
v09044e30000bqs75jb7mt2krtqcfr1g.mp4TikTok's Step Chicken Cult
v09044a30000bqu2nvqhq1040at7b7sg.mp4Videos by @melissaon69420, leader of the "Step Chickens" outlining the rules of joining her TikTok cult. Note the emphasis on outreach and engagement with her content.
Sources
Cabianca, Paige, Peyton Hammond, and Maritza Gutierrez. "What is a Social Media Echo Chamber?" Stan Richards School of Advertising and Publication, https://advertising.utexas.edu/news/what-social-media-echo-chamber Accessed 7 Dec. 2022.
Confessore, Nicholas. “Cambridge Analytica and Facebook: The Scandal and the Fallout so Far.” The New York Times, 4 Apr. 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/04/us/politics/cambridge-analytica-scandal-fallout.html.
Elamroussi, Aya, Artemis Moshtaghian, and Rob Frehse. "Buffalo suspect’s posts about attack plans could be seen online 30 minutes before mass shooting." CNN, 18 May 2022, https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/18/us/buffalo-supermarket-shooting-wednesday/index.html
Holmes, Marcia. “The ‘Brainwashing’ Dilemma.” History Workshop Journal, vol. 81, no. 1, 2016, pp. 285–93, https://doi.org/10.1093/hwj/dbw007
"I am a Scientologist Social Media Toolkit." Scientology Network, 19 April 2019, https://www.scientology.tv/promotional-resources/i-am-a-scientologist.html
Introvigne, Massimo. “Did L. Ron Hubbard Believe in Brainwashing?: The Strange Story of the ‘Brain-Washing Manual’ of 1955.” Nova Religio: The Journal of Alternative and Emergent Religions, vol. 20, no. 4, 2017, pp. 62–79, https://www.jstor.org/stable/26417721
Gilgoff, Dan, and Tricia Escobedo. "Scientology, explained." CNN, 19 April 2017, https://www.cnn.com/2017/03/22/us/believer-what-is-scientology/index.html
Lorenz, Taylor. “Step Chickens and the Rise of TikTok 'Cults'.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 26 May 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/05/26/style/step-chickens-tiktok-cult-wars.html
Lynch, Shana, and Katharine Miller. “A Psychiatrist's Perspective on Social Media Algorithms and Mental Health.” Stanford HAI, 2 Apr. 2020, https://hai.stanford.edu/news/psychiatrists-perspective-social-media-algorithms-and-mental-health.
Marks, Sarah. “The Matter of Mind Control: Brainwashing Case Studies Illuminate the History of Coercive Persuasion.” Science, vol. 373, no. 6556, 2021, p. 749, https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abj8872
McCluskey, Megan. “Will 2022 Be the Year of Reckoning for Addictive Algorithms?” Time, Time, 4 Jan. 2022, https://time.com/6127981/addictive-algorithms-2022-facebook-instagram/
Montell, Amanda. Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism. Harper Wave, an Imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers, 2021.
Silverman, Dwight. “Is Your Email Address Among The Millions in a Facebook Leak?” Forbes, Forbes Magazine, 6 Apr. 2021, https://www.forbes.com/sites/dwightsilverman/2021/04/05/is-your-email-address-among-the-533-million-in-a-facebook-breach-find-out-here/?sh=270f2e65202b.
Stolberg, Sheryl. "A Lasting Legacy of Covid: Far-Right Platforms Spreading Health Myths." The New York Times, 22 Nov. 2022, https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/22/us/politics/covid-misinformation-gab.html
Westbrook, Donald A. “The Art of PR War: Scientology, the Media, and Legitimation Strategies for the 21st Century.” Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses, vol. 47, no. 3, 2018, pp. 373–395, https://doi.org/10.1177/0008429818769404
Video Sources
ABC News. "Inside the Church of Scientology." Youtube, uploaded by ABC News, 23 October 2009, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MdqmTcvwD9I.
ABC News. "Mother Blames Church of Scientology for Splitting Up Family." Youtube, uploaded by ABC News, 19 March 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UKPgsi5Yi24.
Ong, Melissa. TikTok, uploaded by @melissaong69420, 10 May 2020, https://www.tiktok.com/@melissaong69420/video/6825331521126206725?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&q=melissa%20ong%20stepchickens&t=1670869433778.
Ong, Melissa. "Comment any other questions you have and your Mother Hen will do her best to answer them." TikTok, uploaded by @melissaong69420, 13 May 2020, https://www.tiktok.com/@melissaong69420/video/6826379600361164037?is_copy_url=1&is_from_webapp=v1&q=melissa%20ong%20stepchickens&t=1670869433778.
Radio9704. "These aren't the Droids you're looking for..." Youtube, uploaded by Radio9704, 9 August 2014, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=532j-186xEQ.
Saturday Night Live. "Neurotology Music Video - SNL." Youtube, uploaded by Saturday Night Live, 5 April 2015, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOpapeX6Vzs.