Lam spoke to one Apple believer, who was quoted in the research as saying, "For me, the Mac was the closest thing to religion I could deal with". That essay, May the Force of the Operating System be with You: Macintosh Devotion as Implicit Religion, touched on religious themes related to higher meaning, believers who claim to be persecuted, and metaphorical battles between good and evil. In fact, numerous academics with far more science behind the matter have come to similar conclusions.Ī sociologist from Eastern Washington University, Pui-Yan Lam, authored a scholarly paper which was published in the Sociology of Religion journal in 2001. Joe Rogan and I are certainly not the first ones to imply Apple as slightly holier than thou in the tech sphere today. And therein sits one of the core facets of followings that blur the line between mere thought collectives and cults: instilling a mindset that the cause can do no harm and never be wrong. While I'm far from fazed about the heat tossed my way, it comes without saying that the most dedicated of the Apple community are, in some respects, blind believers. Apple this, Apple that.Īnd even when I take the time to outline point by point, with references, some of the holes in stated Apple Doctrine - for example, ripping through their long held claim to security through obscurity - I'm lambasted by the faithful in comments and me-too blog posts around the net.
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Its places of worship are easily found (Apple Stores) across the world, and its mass gatherings (launch events) reinvigorate the word of its gospel and propel belief in the brand.Īs someone who owns a managed IT services company full time, and writes tech op/ed when time permits, I know full well the fervent positions that the Apple faithful hold as virtue. This new religion is passed down to followers (end users) through the Scribes (tech journalists) that preach the gospel of Apple. Apple's near evangelical following was a core facet of the 2009 documentary, Macheads. Apple Store workers, shown above, are cheering on the lucky first buyers at an iPad launch years back. It was part comedy, part reality, but the notion that hit home was quite apparent.Īpple has become almost holy not due to any altruistic motivations of its own doing - its profit motive burns as brightly as any large tech company - but because of an almost fanatical following it has assembled.Īpple product launches are a big deal - and for hardcore believers, almost ritualistic.
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Is Apple and its following a cult?įor substance, Joe mentioned how he remembered old colleagues discussing upcoming Mac OS releases with near mysticism as if every new iteration was about to bring about a newfound revolution in computing. The question at large was thrown out in the wild. He dove into a variety of areas surrounding cults and their characteristics with Joe, and if interested, I recommend listening to his appearance on JRE 680. The real reason I plugged Joe's show is because during the episode with Hassan, the relevant topic of Apple naturally arose at one point. Hassan is a mental health counselor who has personal experience with cult entrapment, as he was once a member of the Moonies.
Specifically, episode 680 of his podcast showed up on my phone today, and it featured a lengthy discussion with a Steve Hassan on the intriguing topic of cults. Joe Rogan - currently best known for being lead color commentator on most large UFC PPV events - doubles as someone who hosts an interesting podcast under the simple guise of " The Joe Rogan Experience." As someone who is always on the prowl for new podcast material to enjoy, I recently came across one which is hosted by a name familiar to many in the States.
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