Why Conspiracy Theories?

[...]

A bunch of people said the appeal was a sense of security, explanations for the unexplained, and Luke shouted them all down because he thought that was a boring answer.

Thank you Archivist. Do you accept tips?

 

[version]

Thank you Archivist. Do you accept tips?

Yes.

 

[...]

Yes.

Great, there you go.

 

[version]

Nice one.

 

[Leo]

she's real. one of my best friends is her cousin.

 

[IdleRich]

Is there any interface between magic and the internet? I'm saying this here cos that burning Zuck could be seen as a 21st Century take in the common conception of the voodoo doll. But more generally does magic of the kind you are interested in @DannyL take into account the internet at all? Or is it just seen as a thing that exists built out of other things that existed and which thus doesn't require any special adjustment to extant theories?

And are there any altogether new types of magical theories that have grown up with the internet and consider it of central importance?

As you know magick is something I take almost no interest in and know nothing about but this question arises to me out of Idle curiosity.

 

[IdleRich]

I look at the internet like guns in that its probably a bad idea for most but can be very fun and even essential for the elevated types with the constitution to handle it like all of us in here.

That Australian comedian* said something similar, I believe his claim was that he "takes drugs like a fucking champ!" but it is perfectly obvious that many people don't and risk harming themselves and others. And because of this he (no doubt regretfully) accepts that some controls are necessary. He went on to lament the fact that so many "responsible gun owners" were unable to apply this logic to their own weird hobby.


*I forget his name but I saw part of his stand up show on telly once and some of it was quite amusing

 

[luka]

Is there any interface between magic and the internet? I'm saying this here cos that burning Zuck could be seen as a 21st Century take in the common conception of the voodoo doll. But more generally does magic of the kind you are interested in @DannyL take into account the internet at all? Or is it just seen as a thing that exists built out of other things that existed and which thus doesn't require any special adjustment to extant theories?

And are there any altogether new types of magical theories that have grown up with the internet and consider it of central importance?

As you know magick is something I take almost no interest in and know nothing about but this question arises to me out of Idle curiosity.

yes of course to all these questions except danny looks down on it

 

[luka]

but the internet fosters magical thinking in all sorts of ways. the core of magic and magical thinking is a cosmos that responds, that can be interacted with, influenced, etc and the internet as a finite cosmos offers this in spades (partly by cheating and reading your emails and listening in to your conversations and tracking your eye movements and what siezes your attention)

 

[DannyL]

@IdleRich Luka is right, I do look down on it. I like magic as something that goes against the grain a bit, and challenges our habits of being constantly logged in. Encourages us to go outside and interact with the world. I can say this with a bit of an informed perspective - it seems I've encountered lots of people who've started on some big "the internet is a magical egregore/cyberspace is the astral plane" theory and it never, ever leads anywhere interesting. I genuinely cannot think of a single piece of writing about magic and the internet that's ever excited me, made me think "wow I want to try that". Erik Davies' Techgnosis maybe? (But I've not read it)

Probably the biggest affect the internet has had on magical culture is the growth of Patreon, Zoom courses Instagram "practitioners" and so on. The old model of a magical order seems to me like it's been completely disrupted by this. I will admit the deluge of information is amazing.

 

[DannyL]

I'd include myself in that - I've made a lot of friendships via the internet (i.e. pretty much everyone I know here) and that continues - I'm on a couple of Discord servers that are really useful for my own practice.

 

[DannyL]

Was listening to this yesterday (this is a guy I know through one of the aforementioned servers). Cool intersection of tech/wandering around in the world/magic:



Tobias says mercury retrograde sent his voice weird btw. I don't think he's that squealy normally.

 

[IdleRich]

but the internet fosters magical thinking in all sorts of ways. the core of magic and magical thinking is a cosmos that responds, that can be interacted with, influenced, etc and the internet as a finite cosmos offers this in spades (partly by cheating and reading your emails and listening in to your conversations and tracking your eye movements and what siezes your attention)

This is exactly as I suspected

 

[Murphy]

Maxwell’s shadow limb is a hoof fwiw

 

[DannyL]

There's all the Kek stuff I guess Rich and memes but I find that all unbearably tedious.

 

[Mr. Tea]

I happened across this cartoon earlier which pretty much explains everything, so I don't think we need to talk about conspiracies or conspiracy theories ever again.

 

[luka]

its funny cos craner would describe that as conspiratorial thinking

 

[version]

It's a cartoon for people who think America's only problem is the Republican Party.

 

[luka]

 

[IdleRich]

There's all the Kek stuff I guess Rich and memes but I find that all unbearably tedious.

Kek?