The Business Side of Witchcraft

 

The Business Side of Witchcraft

              As a business major, when I hear of people practicing witchcraft for a living, I automatically think of how this is financially sufficient. Previously, witchcraft was looked down upon for many reasons, leading the consequences of ‘witchcraft’ to be greater than the positives. With the introduction of WitchTok, there is now a financial incentive to practicing witchcraft. WitchTok has changed the way people view witchcraft, if a creator gets enough views, posting about witchcraft can become sustainable living. Similarly, witchcraft is now monetized. Companies sell things like witch kits (or Ouija boards) and are able to profit off of other people pursuing witchcraft.

              In class, we have discussed the fortune teller on Berry St. This is a great example of how people are monetizing witchcraft. Her job is quite simple (depending on if you believe that what she is saying is true), all the fortune teller has to do is create a story, sell it to you, and then she makes 50 dollars. The farmer’s almanac presented the same example. They advertise their service as free, someone calls, they tell them it will be 100 dollars, and the person either pays 100 dollars, or they get a quick one liner about their future. I mentioned in my last journal entry to use of the Barnum Effect in witchcraft. The Barnum Effect is what allows these practitioners to continue making money from reading Tarot cards. When it comes to companies monetizing witchcraft, there has become a large market for witchcraft supplies. Target sells items like Ouija boards and books on witchcraft, there are stores that only sell crystals that claim to fix certain problems. Companies have been able to create products and specifically market them to people and profit from people’s beliefs.

              Social media has influenced people to practice witchcraft. There are constantly videos that say “if you skip this you will have bad luck,” or videos that are of people reading Tarot cards saying “if you stumbled upon this video this reading applies to you.” These videos push people not only to start practicing witchcraft, but influence people to begin practicing witchcraft. WitchTok has changed the way people view witchcraft, seeing it so frequently online normalizes it. The online presence of witchcraft also changes the way people practicing view it. TikTok provides an incentive for people to practice witchcraft because it is a new way for people to monetize their beliefs.

Comments

  1. williams.dan76September 25, 2024 at 7:08 AM

    Great blog entry, thanks. I am amazed by the monetizing of witches and witchcraft. Such monetizing is everywhere. I just played with Amazon and searched for "witchcraft accessories" and got several million hits in .002 seconds. We've gone from burning witches to selling witchcraft accessories--that's quite a distance. I appreciate your comments.

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