Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism

In Part 6: “Follow for Follow,” Montell addresses the new social climate with the advent of the internet but refrains from diving deeply into too many of the myriad influencers. Rather, she uses this section to explore a key dimension of what the internet means for cults in the modern era and address some of the questions she raised in the beginning about cultish rhetoric and the nature of cults.

The brevity of this section may come as a surprise to readers, because previous sections have a great amount of detail regarding specific cults and dive deeply into the heart of their particular subject. While Montell does offer a case study of influencer culture and riffs on the idea that Twitter is an ideal cult platform, the lack of a deep dive is reflective of the fact that, on some level, it is impossible to catalog every modern cult formed on social media. Montell doesn’t need to; most people are online and already familiar with the cultish groups and language that breeds in communities there, not all of which is necessarily bad. Rather, she skims the surface of this topic, acknowledging that it would require a whole book to fully explore.

Montell then evokes the lines that inspired the title and closing words of Part 1 with the final sentences: “Come along. Join me. Life is much too peculiar to go at it all alone” (284). Yet she doesn’t end exactly where she started, with an inquiry and a hypothesis. Rather than turning negatively against cults, Montell finds herself more accepting of the cultish rhetoric around us because it is everywhere, and to yearn for connection is human. With a heightened sense of awareness and a steady sense of self, people can healthily exist in societies even while dabbling in cultish groups. She uses plain language to convey this point: “I don’t think the world would benefit from us all refusing to believe or participate in things. Too much wariness spoils the most enchanting parts of being human” (281). Montell has proven herself skeptical and knowledgeable about the dangers of cults, but her choice to use a word like “enchanting” to describe participation in cultish groups shows the pivot she’s made over the course of her research: a growing acceptance of the nuances and complexities of cultish rhetoric. Community, which can be cultish, is an important part of the human experience. Given the pervasiveness of cults, it makes more sense for people to be aware of the rhetoric and language surrounding them and to allow their identities to evolve as a patchwork of communities, rather than holding on to one community as the primary source of identity. In other words, Montell gives the seal of approval that, despite their dangers, cultish groups that don’t harm others are acceptable in moderation.