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Rebuilding Atlantis: Watch a Cult Form in Realtime on TikTok…Maybe?
Exploring the Line Between Alternative Living and Cult Dynamics
Since the rise in short-form video content on platforms like TikTok, we’ve been able to watch the rise and fall (or rise and continuation) of several cults.
For example, in Dancing for the Devil: The 7M TikTok Cult, Netflix examined how TikTok dancers were lured into a Christian-based cult that became their management company. The allegations centered on Robert Shinn, founder of 7M and the Shekinah Church, who was accused of isolating clients from their families, closely monitoring their behavior, and controlling their finances and online presence.
People who followed these dancers early on their TikTok journey watched them grow a following, achieve major sponsorship deals, and then enter a management group that resulted in a highly curated and sanitized persona.
If you’ve never witnessed this effect in real-time, I have a possible new one you can keep your eyes on.
There’s an account on TikTok called RebuildingAtlantis. The man running the account has 20…
