The modern magician: tech titans and internet influencers
What better way to maintain the validity of your simulated world than to draw people into the hyperreality that you perceive?
I recently read an article on Aeon that put into words some thoughts I’ve been having about the rise of various spiritual subcultures around social media…
Some insights from the article that got my mind going on my own thoughts…
“Central to Hermetic thought was the tenet: ‘As above, so below.’ Everything is connected, from the movement of the stars and the planets to the internal workings of an insect. Understanding these secret connections, and harnessing them, was the key to a successful magician’s art. Central, too, was the occult nature of the mage’s knowledge. The mage saw things, and connections, that ordinary or uninitiated people could not.”
“Whoever shapes the perception of others, in order to get what they desire, is practising magic.”
“‘As above, so below’, in this context, refers less to the relationship between, say, plants and planets, than to the relationship between the human psyche and human cultural life. Change one person’s mind – and you might change the world.”
“Like the old witches’ bargains of eras past, we agree to sell parts of ourselves – our eyeballs – in exchange for certain illusory fulfilments of desire packaged up by powerful corporate tech titans and memetically gifted shitposters capable of ‘going viral’ with a perfectly worded image or tweet. Memes, in this telling, become the modern interpretations of the magician’s sigil: a magical image empowered to convey the magician’s desired energy.”
In this era, where information is abundant and readily accessible through the internet, we encounter profound psychological shifts. Historically, figures like local priests or some archetype of magicians held the keys to knowledge, truth, and wisdom. Now, the internet has democratized access to information, making each of us, in a sense, our own truth-seekers, creators, and in a more mystical sense magicians.
The traditional gatekeepers of knowledge are no longer the sole arbiters of truth, as we navigate a complex web of uncertainties and questions that defy singular answers. Now, you are one viral video away from altering the perceptions and truths of thousands of people. This shift dramatically alters our perception of reality, merging the tangible with the virtual in unprecedented ways. The phenomenon of deep fakes, edited images, and fabricated stories, despite their falsehoods, significantly influences public perception.
This meta-reality has an effect on our perception of truth, which comes from the growing difficulty of us to convince ourselves of certainties. And when your understanding of truth and identity becomes reformulated, your drives and desires fall under a similar process.
In an internet landscape where objective truth is increasingly scrutinized (in many cases rightfully so), the internet emerges as a realm where subjective realities hold sway. The persuasive power of an individual or group can shape collective beliefs, reminiscent of the concept of 'manifesting.' This bears a striking resemblance to the tactics of corporate leaders who shape public opinion through curated images and narratives through their almighty algorithms, a parallel seen in the practices of those who believe in the law of attraction.
The Internet influencers and corporate elite deal in curated images to sway the subjective drives and desires of the consumer. And this made me think of Debord’s argument in “Society of the Spectacle,” where viral content acts as potent carriers of cultural symbols and ideas, where they do in fact become “magic sigils.” They encapsulate the spectacle of society, where reality is replaced by images and representations that become more real than reality itself.
Our perceived realities are becoming more fluid, influenced by the next swipes more magical rhetoric.
The internet has evolved into a complex space of countless realities, intertwined with media, culture, and perception. This fluidity challenges traditional notions of a singular, objective truth, replacing our perception with a multitude of fragmented subjective truths.
The virtual spaces we inhabit, both online and in our minds, fundamentally shape our understanding of reality. The rise of new-age spirituality can be viewed as a response to the ambiguity of truth in the digital age. These practices provide a flexible framework for meaning-making, reflecting the fluid nature of the digital environment. It's not about unearthing fixed truths, but about constructing personal narratives and belief systems that resonate on an individual level.
Today, the archetype of the magician is embodied by tech corporations wielding algorithms and internet influencers interpreting astrological signs. These modern magicians influence thoughts and beliefs, often subconsciously, through viral content. In this context, magic is about shaping perceptions to align with a desired reality, a technique increasingly employed in both the spiritual and digital realms.
I want to note that I’m not making a value judgment about this….
Or at least this is not my intention.
However, my observation is that our distinction between the real and the simulated has become increasingly blurred. I believe we live in an age of increasingly fragmented perceptions; thus, we lack clear truths, leading us towards mechanisms that aim to make sense of uncertainties: spiritual practices.
Spiritual practices serve as the means to find coherence and meaning for people. Many of us also notice the narcissistic drive to persuade people into our own understanding of truth and identity.
What better way to maintain the validity of your simulated world than to draw people into the hyperreality that you perceive?
Stay curious.