Analysis: Today's psychic industry is growing online, but there are issues around trust, privacy, authenticity and data security
By Christina O'Connor, Alana Hogan, UL, and Gillian Moran, Maynooth University
Have you ever been tempted to engage in psychic services at some stage in your life? Maybe to gauge whether you will find ‘the one’, or potentially to connect with a family member who has passed away, or merely out of intrigue and entertainment.
Central to the success of the psychic industry is mediumship. This has been described as the person who has the supposed capacity to ‘mediate communication between spiritual entities and forms, and other human beings’ in an ‘altered state of consciousness’. However, how we access this medium for their psychic services has been altered and almost fast-tracked with technology, with growing shift to online mediumship, adding another layer of complexity to spiritual consumption.
Advancements in digital technology in conjunction with external factors such as the pandemic has brought a new look and feel to today’s psychic industry, with psychics accessing digital platforms such as TikTok to deliver their service on a 24 hour, seven days a week basis. Examples of psychics are extremely varying in their ‘look’ and ‘offering’. But how do individuals seeking psychic services perceive this digital consumption experience? Is the TikTok Psychic a medium too far?
The varied history of the psychic industry
It is very much accepted that the experience of consumption and spirituality go together, particularly in times of stress or guidance seeking, when people are willing to pay for answers from an outside perspective. One way people use consumption to connect with their spirituality is to seek clarity or higher meaning in their life through availing of psychic readings. Psychic service takes place in many ways, through spiritual practices such as fortune telling, tea leaf and aura readings, cartomancers (card readers), palmistry, astrology and much more.
Read more: Why some people believe they can hear the dead
Psychic consumption often intersects with an individual's belief system and spiritual inclinations, with many consumers turning to psychic services to explore their spirituality, to connect with the divine, or seek guidance from supernatural sources. It is often, however, at our lowest points in life that we seek spiritual guidance to comfort us. The psychic industry has a long and varied history, dividing those who believe in their supernatural abilities while others dismiss them as charlatans. For example, Professor Jeffrey Moriarty from Bentley University in the United States questioned the sale of psychic services, largely as a result of there being powerful evidence over the years that psychic abilities do not exist.
Despite the debate surrounding psychics and their practices, this field of interest has grown exponentially in recent years thanks to the marketability of ‘New Age’ beliefs in the form of the ‘spiritual supermarket’, especially in times of uncertainty. The term ‘spiritual supermarket’ has been coined to reflect what has become the 'pick n mix' nature of people's approach to religious and spiritual beliefs.
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From RTÉ Archives, British medium Doris Stokes on a 1981 edition of ''The Late Late Show' entirely devoted to parapsychology
When the spiritual meets digitisation
The emergence of the ‘Spiritual Supermarket’ term clearly captures the status of the Psychic industry as a consumer market, one in which services can vary and consumers can choose to engage or purchase from. This fragmentation of services also complicates consumers' ability to evaluate the authenticity of these services, particularly in online settings, largely due to the intangible nature of psychic services. This purchase cannot be felt before purchase, so consumers engaging in psychic consumption may seek information about different psychic service providers, their reputation, and the specific services offered.
These include personal recommendations, online reviews, and the perceived expertise of psychic practitioners, to establish trustworthiness and reduce uncertainty. This form of e-business is no different from other interactions with customers. E-businesses recognise the vital importance of establishing consumer trust for long-term success. However, perceived risks associated with products and online practitioners have a negative impact on trust. The psychic industry is no different.
Consumers' perceptions of psychic consumption online
An exploratory study carried out the University of Limerick set out to understand consumers' perceptions of psychic consumption online. This survey of 51 individuals captured people who engaged in psychic services both online and offline. Initial findings highlight the scepticisms around the accuracy and quality of digital readings compared to in-person sessions. This was accentuated by consumer’s apprehensions on the lack of personal connection with the psychic and the challenge of the consumer in gauging what they perceived as the authenticity of the service provider. Interestingly, it was noted that this reservation around digital psychic services did reduce as the consumer enjoyed possibly positive experiences and more repeat use of the digital service.
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From RTÉ Archives, Mayor of Miltown Malbay, soothsayer and fortune teller Lizzie Curtin predicts what lies in store for Pat Kenny in 1992
Significant findings emerged in relation to privacy concerns as consumers felt uncomfortable to share personal information with the digital psychic. However, it could be argued that this concern could ring true in a personal in-person setting as consumers’ do not want to give too much information in order to test the psychic. As further survey findings emerged, it was clear that there was an underlying data security issue with the use of the digital platforms that required more time for consumers to build up trust in the psychic service provider. The significance of online reviews and testimonials in influencing participants choices for a digital psychic was prominent across consumers, along with recommendations from trusted individuals on using an online psychic service.
Not surprising, all surveyed consumers yearned for personalised and engaging interactions in digital psychic consumption, demonstrating a unanimous preference for live video sessions over text-based formats. It is therefore not surprising that consumers expressed concerns about the saturation of the psychic industry on TikTok and its potential impact on authenticity and trustworthiness. Worries included the spread of misinformation, exploitation of individuals, and the emergence of practitioners lacking genuine psychic abilities.
Embracing the digital divine
Consumers' attitudes toward psychic services online are still diverse, with likelihood to recommend digital psychic readers varying, and preference for in-person still outweighing that of online in the first instance. The evident issues around trust, privacy, authenticity and data security with online readings clearly suggest that first and foremost, consumers must get more comfortable crossing the digital divide before embracing the digital divine. In achieving this, the future of digital psychics would gain the much-needed social acceptance and the TikTok Psychic potentially more credibility.
Dr Christina O'Connor is an Associate Professor in Marketing at the University of Limerick. Alana Hogan is a recent graduate in the Marketing, Consumption & Culture Masters from the University of Limerick. Dr Gillian Moran is an Assistant Professor in Marketing at Maynooth University.
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The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ
