Believing in Bits

"As technologies that work by computing numbers, digital media apparently epitomize what is considered scientific and rational. Yet, people experience the effects of digital devices and algorithms in their everyday life also through the lenses of magic and the supernatural. Algorithms, for instance, are discussed for their capacity to "read minds" and predict the future; Artificial Intelligence as an opportunity to overcome death and achieve immortality through singularity; and avatars and robots are accorded a dignity that traditional religions restricted to humans. The essays collected in…