HOW ARE INVISIBLE RELIGIOUS LONGINGS AND HOPES TRIGGERED BY SOCIAL MEDIA AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE?

Abstract

This article examines the activation of invisible religious longings and hopes in the modern digital media landscape. Building on research from 2003–2007, which identified elements of transcendence in films, video games, and advertising, this study analyzes a paradigm shift. Whereas offers of transcendence were previously conveyed sporadically through specific media content, today their activation occurs continuously and in a highly individualized manner through the algorithmic architecture of social media and artificial intelligence. Using a proven three-part explanatory model – consisting of the needs for transcendent identity, perfection, and salvation – this work illustrates how modern recommender systems exploit human vulnerabilities to lead users into so-called “rabbit holes.” Drawing on current phenomena such as the digital cult of beauty, the trend of “Looksmaxxing,” extremist promises of salvation, and the perception of AI as an omniscient authority (“GPTheology”), the study demonstrates how algorithmic processes operationalize religious longings. The article concludes that social media and AI should be viewed as hybrid systems that form functional equivalents of religious structures, thereby generating a new form of “implicit transcendence.” The findings call for greater integration of ethical issues and human rights into the media discourse.

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BibTeX RIS

BibTeX

@misc{godina2026invisible,
  title = {{HOW ARE INVISIBLE RELIGIOUS LONGINGS AND HOPES TRIGGERED BY SOCIAL MEDIA AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE?}},
  author = {Bojan Godina},
  howpublished = {PsyArXiv},
  year = {2026},
  month = sep,
  doi = {10.31234/osf.io/t4kwc_v1},
  url = {https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/t4kwc_v1/},
  note = {CC BY 4.0},
}

RIS

TY  - UNPB
TI  - HOW ARE INVISIBLE RELIGIOUS LONGINGS AND HOPES TRIGGERED BY SOCIAL MEDIA AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE?
AU  - Bojan Godina
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/09/01
PB  - PsyArXiv
DO  - 10.31234/osf.io/t4kwc_v1
UR  - https://osf.io/preprints/psyarxiv/t4kwc_v1/
AB  - This article examines the activation of invisible religious longings and hopes in the modern digital media landscape. Building on research from 2003–2007, which identified elements of transcendence in films, video games, and advertising, this study analyzes a paradigm shift. Whereas offers of transcendence were previously conveyed sporadically through specific media content, today their activation occurs continuously and in a highly individualized manner through the algorithmic architecture of social media and artificial intelligence. Using a proven three-part explanatory model – consisting of the needs for transcendent identity, perfection, and salvation – this work illustrates how modern recommender systems exploit human vulnerabilities to lead users into so-called “rabbit holes.” Drawing on current phenomena such as the digital cult of beauty, the trend of “Looksmaxxing,” extremist promises of salvation, and the perception of AI as an omniscient authority (“GPTheology”), the study demonstrates how algorithmic processes operationalize religious longings. The article concludes that social media and AI should be viewed as hybrid systems that form functional equivalents of religious structures, thereby generating a new form of “implicit transcendence.” The findings call for greater integration of ethical issues and human rights into the media discourse.
ER  -

Abstract

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