'Als engelen in Cyberspace'. De religieuze verbeelding van het internet in Silicon Valley

Samenvatting

'Like Angels in Cyberspace.' The Religious Imagination of the Internet in Silicon Valley. Since the emergence and widespread application of the Internet in the 1990s, cyberspace is often portrayed as a 'soul-space,' a bodiless realm where people can have new, meaningful experiences or even live like spiritual beings. More arrestingly, these fantasies are often expressed by renowned technical specialists, who, according to a standard view in sociology, stand on the frontier of modern processes like secularization, rationalization, and 'disenchantment.' An analysis of cyberpunk literature and in-depth interviews with 34 strategically selected ICT specialists in Silicon Valley, shows that these otherworldly fantasies about cyberspace show a strong affinity with the ancient Gnostic tradition and its late modern heir: the New Age Movement. Paradoxically, technological progress does not necessarily lead to a disenchantment of the Western world but also invokes new forms of (virtual) enchantment. 45 References. Adapted from the source document.