Neopagan Identities on Tumblr: Religious Organization Without Hierarchy

There is a substantial gap when looking for religious research about the micro-blogging social media site Tumblr and its unique communities. This is especially true for supposedly “new age” spiritual practices and beliefs like those associated with witches, mystics, crystal girlies, druids, Wicca, and other related practices. Yet Tumblr’s affordances have empowered Neopaganism to spread on the site and provided a new spiritual home for many users who have been harmed by or feel negatively about mainstream religions. Thus, by studying the nuances of how Neopaganism functions on Tumblr, and how Tumblr’s own affordances empower it to flourish, the papers offers insights into how scholars of religion can gain new information that queers established conceptions of what is or is not “religion” while presenting effective ways for mainstream religions like Christianity to readdress themselves in the future by embracing the nonhierarchical values that vulnerable populations find and appreciate in Neopaganism.