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I wonder if the internet has had a decrease in the power and occurrences of cults as a whole. I know the FBI has task forces that focus entirely on monitoring

I wonder if the internet has had a decrease in the power and occurrences of cults as a whole. I know the FBI has task forces that focus entirely on monitoring cult behavior. Any published statistics? I imagine that they might be wary of branding any "niche religion" as a cult to avoid accusations of violations of religious freedoms. Regardless, I wonder what the overall trend is now that information access and easy communications are so prevalent. Hell, North Korea's government can be seen to be operating as a kind of cult and even they are having difficulties with information leaking into their ecosystem through smuggled cheap Chinese phones and contraband radios.

Steko 11y ago
The internet seems to have been a boon to conspiracy types, racist and religious fanatics more generally. It might be more fair to say that it's hurt certain type of cults, such as the kind that relies on secrets/esoteric knowledge.
- deftnerd 11y ago
  And likely the type that requires blockading members off from interaction from the world. Good points though. The internet has allowed people to create echo chambers to get a global pool of potential devotees. It's still a different situation from the stereotypical cult system where they cut you off from the world and strip away your individuality. Regardless, excellent point.