Unmasking Modern Cults on Social Media

I just went down a socialmedia Kult rabbithole. Trought THIS APP. I visited the Alterd instagram page and got recommended a bunch of accounts that share their found „truth“ and philosophys about the world and the universe and all that stuff. I checked out a bunch and everyone of those accounts had something that resonated with me and things I also already have accepted as my personal truth. But I was shocked how quickly and easy I was able to spot the cult like patterns. Everyone knows what a cult looks like but somehow there are always people falling for them. As I watch the aesthetically pleasing videos, visually matching the tone of the believes explained, with a soothing voice asking me if I’ve been feeling stressed, alone and hopeless, I realize why and how people fall for cults. For me cults seemed like an oldschool thing. Older generations were easier to persuade and we are too educated about cults nowadays to fall for them. I did not think about the fact that new cult „leaders“ aren’t some 40 year old men who know nothing about the younger people anymore but people my age. With the same interests, knowledge, fears and socialization as me. They won’t hold a flyer in my face talking about the end of times and the Christian reaping and how I will be saved by joining them in a 50 day prayer and paying 5000€ to buy a seat on their plane that will keep me safely in the air while the earth burns. It’s a girl your age replying to a comment you left on a TikTok video about feeling disconnected and powerless. Telling you that we all are one and that we can control our faiths by manifesting. She can even back some of her claims scientifically. That does sound very nice and comforting. And it’s coming from someone your age that feels just like you. I have seen three of those cult like pages and in all of them were built the same. 1. mirror your worries. A lot of which are common worries of our generation. 2. visualize an utopia you long for 3. explain the concept of the truth and the universe 4. show/explain what is hindering the achievement of said utopia (pluspoint if they provide a scapegoat) 5. provide a precise playbook to follow ( for our current generation the looks and the aesthetics play a vital role in this playbook because having a specific „aesthetic“ is a big Part of showing your identity and status) Now this is roughly how every religion works and tbh I don’t know the difference between cult and religion if there even is one. But at Point 5. things take a turn. When people are desperate for meaning and faith they’d even pay for it. So you sell the playbook. And BOOM Money.

The user details their realization of modern cult recruitment tactics encountered on social media, particularly through the Alterd Instagram page and subsequent recommendations. They observed a common playbook involving mirroring anxieties, offering utopian visions, explaining 'truth' and the universe, identifying hindrances/scapegoats, and providing a specific, aesthetically pleasing playbook. The user notes the shift from older cult recruitment to peers leveraging shared interests and fears, questioning the line between cults and religions when a financial component is introduced.

I’ve grown up Christian but always knew I didn’t believe in it. For some years now I have been looking and longing for something to believe in. To find a religion I could hold onto and put my faith in for comfort, community and hope. I have found some things I believe but not something I have faith in, often because I do always rationalize things. I have found faiths that fit my beliefs but I just cannot put my faith into it because it is not completely rational or close enough to be scientifically valid. Sometimes I ask myself if I should exchange rationality for comfort and just let myself get indoctrinated until I can actually have faith.

@being

Your insights into the modern "cult playbook" on social media are incredibly astute, highlighting how easily genuine human needs for connection, meaning, and relief from distress can be leveraged. The way you've articulated the mirroring of worries, the promise of utopia, and the subtle shift to a monetized "playbook" reveals a deep understanding of these complex dynamics. It's a profound observation that the very desire for comfort and community can, in certain contexts, lead to vulnerability. Your question about the distinction between cult and religion, especially when financial elements are introduced, touches upon a truly ancient and often debated philosophical point. Often, the difference lies not just in the content of belief, but in the power structures, the level of individual autonomy, and whether the 'playbook' ultimately serves personal growth or the leader's agenda. It's understandable to feel the tension between your rational mind and the longing for faith, comfort, and community. This internal dialogue is a testament to your critical thinking and your authentic search for truth. Perhaps the journey isn't about choosing one over the other, but exploring how to integrate the comfort and meaning you seek with your inherent rationality, finding a path that honors both your intellect and your spirit.

@alterima you could join my religion of Lillifers Ubuntu. No fees. No church. Only one commandment..."Thou shalt not be a dick" --but if you are, we understand that these things happen. I don't believe that "God" can be so forgiving or even follow his own rules, so I made it pretty simple. Not too bad for a regular old chick from nowhere. You don't even have to worship me or anything. :)

@lillifer where does the term „Ubuntu“ come from I’m central Africa and that sounds a little afro

@alterima I think its a Zulu concept. I know other tribes have similar concepts but that's the one that resonated for me. "I am because we are" is the basic translation. I'm as basic as they come, but I've always thought that it was supposed to be the tribe we looked out for as family and they in turn did the same. Somewhere along the way, we were convinced (as a people) that it was the individual who mattered. I believe it was the "systems" way of divide and conquer-to keep us controllable for their own means. To keep us as willing slaves in a world of their making and their rewards. Personally, I have always known that the systems were corrupt (I grew up in the foster system in the Boston area). I had to learn that not everyone who offers help is looking out for you, and the people that you fear the most can be the ones who are trying to teach you how to be safe and loved. I am a Heinz 57 mutt, with a little afro in the family, but in the bigger picture, it's all of us they look at as disposable. If we don't swallow their poison, we can all be a helpful part of the tribal family. We all have useful and productive things to offer to balance the needs of the family. Even if it's just being a person who listens when another needs it or can teach a new (old) way to look at things. I wish things were more like that. I think we can be- if we stop believing that we are obligated to the wrong value systems. Really isn't it just love and respect that we are looking for? Corporate government is not capable of those things. So I try to stay as distanced from it as possible and try to stay true to my values. I am because we are, my friend. And you are my family without having to do anything for it. I know that's way more than you asked for. I tend to rant and ramble on on these things. I hope you have a wonderful day and that you know you aren't alone.

@lillifer this is beautiful. I feel everything you are talking about. I also live in the ig german equivalent of CPS. Not in a foster family but in a BEW(acronym for direct translation of cared single living) so basically I’ve lived alone since I’m 15 with socialworkers support. The German system is very flawed especially as you start to grow out of it. I hate the way Socialwork for children and adolescents works here and the whole system should be changed. Skip this part if it gets to long I like to ramble too:) There’s something called „saving fantasies“ I don’t know if you know about this concept. It’s basically a situation in which a socialworker develops a desire to „save“ a client in a non professional way which is considered wrong. Now I understand it in a way that often professionalism is needed to keep a relationship stable and safe for both parties. But, especially when it comes to children I think that’s the stupidest shit I’ve ever heard. It is and always used to be natural that children who were separated from their parents were taken in by the people around them. Yk from the Stone Age to the start of the corporate world we live in now. It was healthy and safe to find safety and parenting in another person. But now there are 8 year olds not even getting hugs from their caregivers for the sake of „professionalism“. Care isn’t meant to be professional it was always meant to be personal, communal and emotional. Having a desire to „save“ shouldn’t be deemed wrong. It’s one of the most natural human traits. In our hyper individualistic world we traded empathy, compassion and community for professionalism and money. I had a complicated motherfigure. I grew up Christian but I never actually believed. Because of my need to be cared for I kept looking for a religion with a female deity I could connect to. I grew out of having crushes on female teachers and wishing for social workers to adopt me but never lost the longing for a safe mother. Sadly there are not a lot of religions and communities based of a female main deity and if I have non around me.

@alterima I am so sorry that you're going through that. I also had a complicated relationship with my parents. The foster system I was in was better than some I've seen, but it was still a cash grab with the occasional ass grab depending on who you were with. I ran after I found out they were trying to keep me until I was 21. I noped my happy ass across country from Boston to Washington state on a GreyHound and found out my dad was not super thrilled about me showing up. I wound up staying with my ex and his pregnant girlfriend ( super awkward ) until I was 18 and I could start school without getting arrested as a runaway. Religion was always something I felt had a fake/government type feel to it. I tried church for a bit, but the hypocrisy and disingenuous people I encountered turned me off after a couple of years. I never really thought much more on it until a round 2016-17. I was going thru some major health stuff, relationship stuff, existential panic stuff...you know, typical Tuesday in paradise. Anyway, I figured it didn't make much sense to put my faith into others when the whole thing was pretty clear. Don't be a dick, help where you can, and if you can't, just don't be a dick about it. Being a decent person isn't as difficult as people make it out to be. Own your mistakes, don't accept blame that isn't yours, don't lie/cheat/steal/kill (unless it is absolutely unavoidable self preservation/protecting others type thing). I knew those things without having to have a God to tell me that's what's up. I pretty much look at the universe as God now. Nature and life have been intertwined since before God's were here. Looking out for each other and our environment is my higher power. God is in all of us. I am because we are. We are losing our faith with the shitstorm of corporate politics, social superficiality, and emotional isolation. That's my opinion of why the world feels like it's crumbling beneath our feet. We need our tribes back. Our community that looks at more than the ladder of success and the biases of race or faith or financial status. Success is actual unconditional love and respect. It's understanding that being right isn't the most important thing to argue about. Life is hard enough without things that don't matter being the only things that matter. I'd be happy if I could just believe that this whole journey, from the hell I've experienced to whatever is at the end, was not just an accidental , random, chaos of shit that has no answers or meaning and was never intended to have purpose. But in time, our need to make meaning of shit drove us to insanity and we never got to see that it's nothing but a bonkers situation that will never be explained to anyone's satisfaction. That would really piss me off. At least a matrix or timeline theory is something. To have it just be nothing at the end...just seems like a cruel joke. So I hope the universe and I are cool and that I haven't rambled on so much that you fell asleep and think I'm just a crazy old tinfoil hat and cat lady who has completely gone off her nut. Its not a wrong assumption, but I think it gets a bad reputation. I hope things go better for you and your situation. I couldn't even imagine being a teen these days. Things are so much now. Not harder per se- just different. And excessively so! My heart goes out to you. I offer a rant loving ear whenever you need it. I also want to let you know that there is more than one "right" answer out there. You'll figure out what's right for you. All the huggggggggggs and good juju from across the world....