Re: religion.
The internet and social media are spawning identity politics. A lot of this is due to a lack of a sense of belonging which in the past close local communities and religion often provided. As that has broken down, people have looked for that sense of belonging in online communities, by finding other like minded individuals. The communities that have developed, have social hierarchies, conventions and often their own unique vocabulary or phrases that have sprung from 'in jokes' or ideas. The shared experiences of these communities make some very insular. People within them share very personal information so other members often know more about someone than real life people. The intimacy is part of sense of belonging.
From there it doesn't take much for a community to make a jump from something which is healthy to something which is cult like and can turn rather sinister. Communities which are inward looking tend to be competitive, with various individuals and their supporters all trying to outdo others in a bid for power. The rules are set by the community consensus or moderator. In groups where there is no moderator, the only thing which controls the group is the groups tolerance and self moderation. The more extreme the group, the less likely there is for self moderation. Attempts to get others not in your clique to self moderate are difficult to launch as such individuals are deemed a threat to another's power. Its all about being 'right' and 'winning' an argument rather than having any context or sense of reality.
It tends to push things to extremes. I've seen online communities pretty much implode. The results are not pretty at all. Doxxing is more widespread than I think people realise. There is a sense that law does not apply especially when communities are international. No one knows who is really responsible for criminal harassment and even when the police are involved, they tend to be powerless and the emphasis is on the harassed individual to leave the community rather than action be taken against offenders.
The effect the effective expulsion of an individual has, is to embolden those who forced it, and to give them more power and influence within the group. Unrest and opposition to actions is silenced. Members take the view that it is better to shut up and put up than no longer belong and to lose all the emotional investment and friends they have gained. People repeat what others have said and eventually stop questioning it as they become radicalised. Questioning is viewed as personal criticism because an attack on the group is seen as an attack on the person as their own identity is so interwoven into the fabric of the group through their sense of belonging. The unjustifiable become justifiable in the name of preserving the group. The indefensible becomes defensible in the interests of the greater cause.
As a rule communities with female members tend to moderate themselves better. Simply because women are socialised to defuse situations and stop them from escalating out of control. This can also work against women as they become seen as obstructive and often almost shields for male rivals.
The same patterns repeat over and over. Under the right conditions, communities become like religions. They lack plurality and they do act like cults. In some cases they become so ingrained into the mentality and psychology of a person that I do think religious belief in certain things like incel ideology does exist.
Its no coincidence that gaming communities have experienced problems earlier than other communities.
On twitter you see the fostering of these communities through echo chambers. People who only follow the same people who hold the 'correct' beliefs and shut out everything else are most vulnerable to it. Imo, the Labour party has actively developed a problem along these lines. The TRAs are another clear one. Nigel Farage developed one. Its all over the political spectrum and its getting worse not better. The issue is they are extremely difficult forces to control once they get out of hand.
What I find interesting here on MN is so many expressing a sense of political homelessness and lack of belonging or tribal loyalty. I personally find that somewhat refreshing and a bit of a relief. But it also troubles me too...