Amanda Montel

Studies show that social media has damaged our mental health and our attention spans, all the while making cult-ish leaders mega-accessible.

Who needs compounds when you have comment sections?

Hi, everyone.

Or shall I say, greetings, followers.

And settle in.

Because I'm about to share with you a true story about one of the most zealous cults in the world.

This story takes place on the group's holiest day.

Acolytes arrived at dawn, some having crossed oceans and sacrificed life savings in order to get there.

They came bearing hand-beated offerings inscribed with sacred numbers, 22, 13, 89.

But this, my friends, is not the story of an apocalyptic sect on a faraway compound.

No, this was a Taylor Swift concert.

I said it.

The talismans are friendship bracelets, the biblical books are known as eras, and the charismatic leader is a billionaire pop priestess who, let's be honest, could probably rule the free world if she really wanted to.

Now, don't get me wrong, I'm a deep-dyed, red-album girlie.

I'm not here to call out Swifties as cult followers.

No, I wouldn't dare.

but I'm an author and a cultural commentator with a background in linguistics.

And I'm here to share how we're all susceptible to cult-ish thinking, for better and for worse, and our everyday vocabularies are evidence of our devotion.

I'm here to share what to pay attention to, what to listen for, so that as we move through these inevitably culty times, we can stay both enchanted and empowered.

Now, my fascination with cults is personal.