In Search Of
MAHIMA KEDLAYA | NOV. 10, 2021 | FEATURES
From scrolling endlessly through tarot card readings on TikTok to shopping for crystals at Midnight Sun Imports, the newfound exposure of spirituality to teenagers is being expedited by social media platforms. Oracles, chakras, incense, deities, and other spiritual aspects have received exposure on the internet, attracting an increasing number of adolescents to the realm of spirituality and its many practices. Enthusiasts are in search of spiritual relief as its advantageous practices and influence on daily life have risen to prominence through social media.
The definition of spirituality is limitless as its scope and representation are boundless and subjective to the individual. However, it can be characterized by three pillars: mind, body, and spirit. Spirituality is centered around the aim of finding connections with guiding sources more powerful than oneself. Practitioners hope to achieve serenity, interconnectedness, transcendence, sustenance, or find meaning in existence through their spiritual journey. While walking around the Stanton College Preparatory School campus, the effect of spirituality on this generation is made evident through student displays of spiritually influenced wardrobes and conversations about changes in their lifestyles.
“I started spirituality about a year ago when quarantine started, and I think it has really allowed me to grow emotionally,” said senior Sylas Anand. “It has helped me gain a lot of love for myself, the world, and other people.”
By setting pure intentions, spiritual exercises are intended to elevate practitioners to a space of clarity and positivity. Spirituality, in essence, is used as a vehicle to transport individuals to a higher path of introspection and growth. This goal has been traditionally achieved through meditation, prayer, and journaling. Symbols of spirituality, such as the Om sign, Buddha figure, and evil eye can be spotted on graphic tees and backpacks. Crystals, another practice done in spirituality, have found their way to the necklaces, rings, and bracelets of Stanton students.
“I do like wearing crystals and daily I wear amethyst, bloodstone, and rose quartz,” said senior Lys Villegas. “Wearing them kind of empowers me, so I feel like I am safe enough to say what’s on my mind.”
For spiritual believers like Villegas, crystals serve as healing tools, replenishing the mind and body and casting out malevolence. The ideology of healing crystals is that all beings are composed of energy, and crystals attain an energy that uplifts the natural vibrations in the human body. Practitioners utilize social media platforms as a way to learn about the properties and effects of various crystals, as well as spirituality as a whole.
Currently, spirituality has gained popularity through several social platforms. In November 2020, Snapchat added a feature that involves horoscopes in the user profiles. This update utilizes one’s birthday, birth time, place of birth, and Bitmoji avatar to develop an in-depth astrological profile. With this update, users can learn more about their various astrological placements such as their signs, houses, and planetary alignments. Each of these placements is described in detail, providing insight for those who are interested in exploring their zodiac signs. This feature’s uniqueness stems from its ability to illustrate the astrological compatibility between users.
“Seeing other people’s astrological placements has inspired me to learn more about each horoscope and their effects on people’s personality,'' said senior Jacob Earnest. “I believe that this new feature gives me a pretty good depiction of who others are before I actually get to know them.”
Instagram is also increasing the spread of spiritual practices among teenagers. Through infographics and digital spiritual content, users are employing the platform to encourage followers to learn about spirituality and take part in its practices. These easily accessible sources of information serve as a portal for those curious to enter the realm of spirituality. Users display their personal routines or purchases to inspire others to begin their own spiritual paths. By sharing their experiences, people can comfort and guide others on their journeys.
“Instagram users dedicated to spiritual practices and self-growth have aided my journey,” said Anand. “Especially since I started this during quarantine, social media was the main resource accessible at that time.”
Like Instagram, TikTok has proved to be a useful method for spreading awareness through 60-second videos on countless spiritual aspects, such as tarot and oracle cards. During an hour of mindless scrolling, users are likely to come across a variety of videos focused on spirituality. Numerous TikTokers utilize their influential platforms to share techniques on manifestation and affirmations. Some users present tarot cards and astrology readings through live streams or videos. The popularity of crystals has also been accelerated due to users posting videos about their positive healing experiences and eye-catching jewelry.
“I can’t even think of a time before everyone was showing interest in the power of manifestations and affirmations on social media,” said junior Srila Parikh. “Currently, there is a developing audience on TikTok for spiritual influencers, and I find it to be unparalleled to any other trend via social media.”
Several students who express a commitment and passion for spirituality share common opinions about the spread of falsity in social media. This includes incorrect information depicted about methods of journaling, how to utilize candles and pendulums, and how to appropriately share tarot cards and crystals. It is important to recognize the benefits of mass media as it has elevated spirituality to a global stratosphere. However, many believe that with this popularization comes some malice as users are utilizing spiritual practices to profit off of.
“I believe that if you purely care about spirituality, you would not try to commercialize its valued practices,” said junior Adia Ramsundar. “With tarot card readers on social media, for example, it isn’t meaningful or personalized; they just tell you what you want to hear.”
The commercialization of spirituality stretches far beyond the profit-oriented mindsets of practitioners. There is a rapidly rising demographic of students who are purchasing crystals and deities. Stores and e-commerce sites have capitalized on this popularity, and are now featuring symbols of spirituality to attract consumers.
“The majority of our demographic is teenagers and young adults, and TikTok is one of the big reasons for this,” said Jonathan Wall, a sales associate at Midnight Sun Imports in Jacksonville. “I have noticed an increase in teenagers coming in for specific crystals such as Moldavite or Carnelian just because they saw a video about it on TikTok.”
Social media’s sphere of influence is inherently unparalleled as new trends and products can arise in mere minutes. Spirituality, being one of social media’s new focuses, has been heavily marketed, with the aims of companies diluting the pure intentions of spiritual practices. Businesses are emphasizing the idea that material items are vital to spiritual practices. This focus on physical goods is stressing the importance of possessions rather than intents.
“The media projected this falsified idea that if you do not have crystals or incense, you are not into spirituality,” said Ramsundar. “Spirituality is intended for you to connect with your inner self, not with material objects.”
This growth of commercialization has sparked concern in spiritual practitioners as stores begin to showcase spiritual totems. The act of ignorantly appraising such significant symbols can result in deception and inaccuracy.
“There is a big difference when it comes to going into a genuine spirituality store versus a store that solely has commercial intentions, '' said Ramsundar. “Items from such stores, essentially, hold no spiritual worth and tend to be much more expensive than those sold in an authentic store.”
Various stores centered around spirituality feature crystals, stones, textiles, incense, and other spiritual totems that have been collected from India, Nepal, Bali, and Thailand. By advertising items deemed ‘exotic,’ stores are inviting a new generation of consumers enticed by social media’s display of spiritual items. These foreign totems are often glorified solely for their eastern origins and eye-catching appearance. Thus, their historical, spiritual, and cultural significance is overshadowed by their exoticness.
“Through the easily persuadable consumer culture prominent today, social media users tend to take on a distorted view of spirituality,” said senior Ansh Parikh. “Due to this, various followers fail to recognize the cultures in which spiritual acts and beliefs originate.”
Although there are practitioners who appreciate the cultural origins of spirituality, the emphasis on collecting physical items has lessened the respect needed for cultural practices. Many people are purchasing these material goods simply because they saw them on social media; therefore, neglecting their cultural implications.
“People tend to collect deities or display symbols that they don’t know or understand the meaning of. These culturally significant representations tend to get misconstrued,” said senior Saniya Kulkarni. “I have seen clothing with the Om symbol or odd drawings or decorations of Hindu figures.”
Through media platforms, spirituality has been elevated to the realm of teenage curiosity. Spirituality’s transforming qualities have greatly shaped fashion and entertainment. Social media’s influencing power, however, also damages spirituality and its practices. With its ability to globally diffuse information comes the spread of misinformation and appropriation. According to many practitioners, commercializing spiritual totems with a profit-oriented mindset tends to weaken modern spirituality which can result in cultural appropriation. There are innumerable ways to express spirituality be it through meditation, journaling, shopping for crystals, or even scrolling through TikTok.