How Are Invisible Religious Longings and Hopes Triggered by Social Media and Artificial Intelligence?
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: This article examines the activation of invisible religious longings and hopes in themodern digital media landscape. Building on research from 2003–2007, which identifiedelements of transcendence in films, video games, and advertising, this study analyzes aparadigm shift. Whereas offers of transcendence were previously conveyed sporadicallythrough specific media content, today their activation occurs continuously and in ahighly individualized manner through the algorithmic architecture of social media andartificial intelligence. Using a proven three-part explanatory model – consisting of theneeds for transcendent identity, perfection, and salvation – this work illustrates howmodern recommender systems exploit human vulnerabilities to lead users into so-called“rabbit holes.” Drawing on current phenomena such as the digital cult of beauty, thetrend of “Looksmaxxing,” extremist promises of salvation, and the perception of AI as anomniscient authority (“GPTheology”), the study demonstrates how algorithmic processesoperationalize religious longings.The article concludes that social media and AI should be viewed as hybrid systemsthat form functional equivalents of religious structures, thereby generating a new form of“implicit transcendence.” The findings call for greater integration of ethical issues andhuman rights into the media discourse.
Source: PsyArXiv (OSF Preprints)
Author: Bojan Godina
Language: English
Subfield: Religious studies
Field: Arts and Humanities
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7204891220