Hashtag: Witchcraft. Being a Witch as a Lifestyle in Social Media
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Since the broad introduction of the Internet in the 1990s, online connections have played a significant role in the Pagan and Witchcraft community worldwide, first via forums and currently via social media outlets. This paper focuses on being a Witch as a lifestyle, as presented in YouTube, and examines monetizing online presence in the context of contemporary Witchcraft. Using Kozinets’ (2010) netnography and Stebbins’ (1997) approach to lifestyle, I study the online presence of two Polish content creators, @Paranormalia and @idzys. Content analysis of their uploads reveals a few elements of lifestyle that can be incorporated by the viewers. Both creators explore similar themes, mostly educational videos on everything occult and videos elaborating on practical aspects of being a Witch in the 21st century. By creating content and displaying “Witchy aesthetic,” Natalia and Idżys share their lifestyles, becoming certain kinds of authorities and monetizing their online presence in various ways.
Source: Journal of Media and Religion
Author: Joanna Malita-Król
Institution: Jagiellonian University
Language: English
Subfield: Philosophy
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4408553389