In the age of social media and wellness trends, the comments section is as good as a cult compound, says linguist and cultural commentator Amanda Montell. Using Taylor Swift’s throng of devoted Swifties as her guide, she exposes three sneaky language tactics that cults use to influence us (for better or for worse), revealing why none of us are as cult-proof as we’d like to think.

(Following the talk, Elise Hu, host of TED Talks Daily, interviews Montell on parasocial relationships and how to have productive conversations with cult members by recognizing their humanity.)

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