Conjuring the Algorithm: Magic, AI, and the Hidden InternetwithDr Shira Chess

Join us live for a conversation with Dr Shira Chess on the hidden entanglements between digital culture and the occult, inspired by her new book The Unseen Internet: Conjuring the Occult in Digital Discourse.

From AI “demons” like Loab to meme magic, technopaganism, simulation theory, and the ritual logics of online life, Chess argues that the internet has always been shaped by esoteric frameworks. Drawing on media history and contemporary case studies, she shows how magical thinking is not an accidental metaphor but part of the architecture of digital discourse.

In this livestream, we will explore how belief, intention, and symbolic practice intersect with algorithms, platforms, and artificial intelligence, and what this means for politics, reality, and power in the twenty-first century. Bring your questions for what promises to be a sharp and thought-provoking discussion.

Shira Chess is an Associate Professor of Entertainment and Media Studies at the University of Georgia. She received her PhD in 2009 from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and studies digital culture and video games. Her most recent book, The Unseen Internet: Conjuring the Occult in Digital Discourse (The MIT Press, 2026) is available now. She is also currently co-authoring a history of the 90s counterculture tech magazine Mondo 2000 alongside the magazine’s former editor-in-chief, R.U. Sirius. You can subscribe to her free Substack at https://unseeninternet.substack.com/.

CONNECT & SUPPORT

MY COURSES ‍ https://drangelapuca.com/course

WEBSITE & NEWSLETTER https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletter

BOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE https://drangelapuca.com/services

BECOME MY PATRON! / angelapuca

SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapuca

ONE-OFF DONATIONS https://paypal.me/angelasymposium

JOIN MEMBERSHIPS / @drangelapuca

MY PODCAST https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTG…

MY MERCH https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/

FOLLOW ME

YouTube (@drangelapuca)

Instagram (@drangelapuca)

TikTok (@drangelapuca)

Twitter (@angelapuca11)

Facebook (Dr Angela Puca)

️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ️

Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

Want to create live streams like this? Check out StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5768951004397568

Published on February 23, 2026

Share

Conjuring the Algorithm: Magic, AI, and the Hidden InternetwithDr Shira Chess

Join us live for a conversation with Dr Shira Chess on the hidden entanglements between digital culture and the occult, inspired by her new book The Unseen Internet: Conjuring the Occult in Digital Discourse.

From AI “demons” like Loab to meme magic, technopaganism, simulation theory, and the ritual logics of online life, Chess argues that the internet has always been shaped by esoteric frameworks. Drawing on media history and contemporary case studies, she shows how magical thinking is not an accidental metaphor but part of the architecture of digital discourse.

In this livestream, we will explore how belief, intention, and symbolic practice intersect with algorithms, platforms, and artificial intelligence, and what this means for politics, reality, and power in the twenty-first century. Bring your questions for what promises to be a sharp and thought-provoking discussion.

Shira Chess is an Associate Professor of Entertainment and Media Studies at the University of Georgia. She received her PhD in 2009 from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and studies digital culture and video games. Her most recent book, The Unseen Internet: Conjuring the Occult in Digital Discourse (The MIT Press, 2026) is available now. She is also currently co-authoring a history of the 90s counterculture tech magazine Mondo 2000 alongside the magazine’s former editor-in-chief, R.U. Sirius. You can subscribe to her free Substack at https://unseeninternet.substack.com/.

GET THE BOOK: https://amzn.to/3MA2k29

CONNECT & SUPPORT

MY COURSES ‍ https://drangelapuca.com/course

WEBSITE & NEWSLETTER https://www.drangelapuca.com/#newsletter

BOOK A TUTORING OR A LECTURE https://drangelapuca.com/services

BECOME MY PATRON! / angelapuca

SUPPORT ME ON KO-FI ️https://ko-fi.com/drangelapuca

ONE-OFF DONATIONS https://paypal.me/angelasymposium

JOIN MEMBERSHIPS / @drangelapuca

MY PODCAST https://open.spotify.com/show/2TKoWTG…

MY MERCH https://drangelapuca.creator-spring.com/

FOLLOW ME

YouTube (@drangelapuca)

Instagram (@drangelapuca)

TikTok (@drangelapuca)

Twitter (@angelapuca11)

Facebook (Dr Angela Puca)

️ Copyright of Dr Angela Puca, in all of its parts ️

Music by Erose MusicBand. Check them out!

00:00:00 Introduction to Technopaganism, Internet Magic & AI

00:00:59 Meet Dr Shira Chess | Digital Culture Scholar & Author

00:04:16 The Unseen Internet: Magic, Technology & AI Ethics

00:05:57 “Nothing Is True, Everything Is Permitted” (Chaos Magick Phrase Explained)

00:09:13 Is the Internet Intrinsically Magical? Technopaganism Explained

00:14:20 Early Internet Counterculture, Occult Influences & Meme Theory

00:17:40 Egregores, Thoughtforms & Meme Magic | Sigils in Internet Culture

00:22:37 Ritual, Play & Games: Ludic Space in Digital Magic

00:24:51 Peter J. Carroll, Chaos Magick & Belief in Ritual Practice

00:27:41 Simulation Theory, Games & Ritual | Are We Living in a Simulation?

00:29:38 Internet Demons Explained: Coronzon, Xaturing (KA+Turing) & Occult Tech

00:34:39 AI Ethics, Demons & Nonhuman Agency | What Counts as “Alive”?

00:39:06 AI as Tulpa? Belief, Consciousness & Phenomenological Reality

00:40:32 Slender Man and Crowdsourced Internet Cryptids (Folklore Online)

00:42:58 CIA Gateway Process, Reality Shifting & “Reality Tourism”

00:46:18 Mondo 2000, Reality Hackers & 1980s Techno-Occult Culture

00:48:27 The Algorithm as Entity? TikTok, Divination & Conspirituality

00:51:26 Gnosticism, The Matrix & Simulation Culture in New Media

00:57:25 Magic Eye (Stereogram) Method: Seeing the Occult in Cyberculture

01:03:01The Philosophy of “Nothing Is True…” in the Age of Misinformation

01:08:01 Dr Shira Chess | Book, Substack & Where to Find Her

01:08:36 Join Dr Angela Puca’s Community | Patreon, Memberships & Support

Want to create live streams like this? Check out StreamYard: https://streamyard.com/pal/d/5768951004397568

Published on

Share