I read a fascinating article in the November 2018 edition of The Atlantic that explores the various ways in which virtual assistants such as Alexa and Siri have begun to occupy more and more important spaces in our lives. My household does not have such an assistant, and it’s probably a good thing. Home is the one place where my conversation tends to be unfiltered.
I read the article largely because, as a person with no virtual assistant, I have often wondered why such devices have become so wildly popular and, for some, an indispensable part of daily life. Before long, my curiosity turned both into fascination and a strange familiarity. It turns out that Alexa and her fellow assistants are more than omnipresent helpers and sources of information. They tap into something very much like the energies underlying prayer. I wrote about this for Bearings Online in an article that was published a few days ago . . . Enjoy!
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In