Technopaganism

Technopaganism, as described by Victoria Dos Santos, is "a term encompassing a variety of practices and expressions related to contemporary paganism, popular culture, and spiritual pursuits in digital environments."^[1] The Internet, for instance, is considered by some technopagans to have spiritual significance or unique magical applications.^[2][3] Techno music may also be involved in technopaganism. Modern tribal and urban primitive movements such as cyberpunk, urban shamanism and rave culture are associated with electronic dance music.^{[citation needed]}

An example of modern merging of ceremonial magic and technology; a videoconference allows participants to practice the ritual when not physically in person

Definition

Technopaganism is concerned with spiritual and magical aspects of technology and, sometimes, the interconnections between technology and society. Dos Santos classified technopaganism into two types: the first pertains to the adaptation of various neopagan currents to online environments (e.g., via virtual communities or collaborative software), while the second comprises a body of neopagan beliefs and practices greatly influenced by information and communications technology and "deeply merged with cybernetic culture".^[2]

A notable instance of technopagan adaptation of neopagan practices is the creation and distribution of virtual Books of Shadows and sacred texts through the Internet;^[2][4] similarly, virtual world platforms such as Second Life and VRChat^[2] are used to connect with others and conduct rituals.^[5]

Beliefs

A common element of technopaganism is the adaptation of neopagan beliefs, such as animism, to technology and cyberspace. Dos Santos writes that a fundamental aspect of technopagan animism is "a dialogic relationship with the digital environment itself."^[2]

In a 1995 Wired article, technopagan Mark Pesce describes how, upon first using NCSA Mosaic, he realized that the World Wide Web was the first emergent property of the Internet: "It's displaying all the requisite qualities – it came on very suddenly, it happened everywhere simultaneously, and it's self-organizing. I call that the Web eating the Net." He went on to create VRML, with one of his motivations having been to bring about a spatial dimension of the Web.^[3]

In popular culture

In the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, the major character Jenny Calendar is a technopagan.^[6]

American Gods by Neil Gaiman marries traditional ideas of gods with the concept of egregores, which influence the results of progress and new technology in society and lead to the creation of the "New Gods".^[7][8]

Dystopian video games such as Cyberpunk 2077, Death Stranding, and Everybody's Gone to the Rapture have been studied for their capacity to evoke spiritual experiences beyond the bounds of institutional religion, broadening the definition of technopaganism by suggesting that these types of cyberspaces can function as conduits for mysticism.^[9]