www.p o essionsandp o essionalism.com
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Olli Rissanen, Pe e i Pi känen, An i Ju onen, Pekka
Räihä, Gus a Kuhn and
Kai Hakka ainen
How Has he Eme gence o Digi al
Cul u e A ec ed P o essional
Magic?
Abs ac : We examined how he eme ging digi al cul u e has a ec ed magicians’
ca ee s, he de elopmen o hei expe ise and he gene al p ac ices o hei p o es-
sions. We used social ne wo k analysis (n=120) o iden i y Finland’s mos highly
ega ded magicians (n=16) ep esen ing di e en gene a ions. The pa icipan s we e
heme in e iewed and also collec ed sel - epo ques ionnai e da a. The esul s e-
ealed ha digi al ans o ma ions ha e s ongly a ec ed he magical p o ession in
e ms o changing hei ca ee pa hs and en y in o he p o ession. Magic used o be
a sec e i e cul u e, whe e access o ad anced knowledge was con olled by highly
ega ded ga ekeepe s who sha ed hei knowledge wi h a selec ed g oup o commi -
ed newcome s as a unc ion o hei ex ended e o s. Openly sha ing magical
knowledge on he In e ne has diminished he adi ionally s ong ole o hese ga e-
keepe s. Al hough online u o ials ha e made magical know-how mo e accessible o
newcome s, p o essional communi ies and ne wo ks play a c ucial ole in he cul i-
a ion o ad anced p o essional compe ences.
Keywo ds: Digi al cul u e, expe ise, ga ekeeping, in e ne , p o essional ma-
gician, p o essionalism
The pu pose o his a icle is o examine how he eme gence o digi al cul u e has
a ec ed p o essional pu sui o magic. Magic is a pe o ma i e o m o a and en-
e ainmen ha elies on sophis ica ed compe ences cul i a ed ac oss yea s o ain-
ing (Rissanen, Palonen, Pi känen, Kuhn, & Hakka ainen, 2013; Rissanen, Pi känen,
Ju onen, Kuhn, & Hakka ainen, 2014). Magic di e ges om adi ional c ea i e
p o essions in ha i lacks o mal educa ion, o mal c eden ials, and ins i u ionalized
ca ee pa hs. Howe e , magic sha es impo an p o essional cha ac e is ics, such as
ea ning a li ing h ough magical pe o mances, ha ing ecognized, ye in o mal p o-
essional compe ences, belonging o a collegial ne wo k o ained expe s, and p ac-
i ione s iden i ying hemsel es as belonging o skilled p o essionals in he ield.
Magicians a e usually sel -employed au onomous en ep eneu s and cons i u e an
impo an pa o he c ea i e sec o o socie y (Linds öm, 2015; S ensson, 2015).
Whils i is ques ionable as o whe he magicians a e a eal p o ession, we conside
magic a c ea i e occupa ional g oup wi h a high deg ee o p o essional compe ence
and au onomy, which can easily be compa ed o o he pe o ming a is s.
Olli Rissanen,
Uni e si y o
Eas e n Finland,
Finland
Pe e i Pi känen,
Uni e si y o
Eas e n Finland,
Finland
An i Ju onen,
Uni e si y o
Eas e n Finland,
Finland
Pekka Räihä,
Uni e si y o
Tampe e, Finland
Gus a Kuhn,
Goldsmi hs
Uni e si y o
London, UK
Kai
Hakka ainen,
Uni e si y o
Helsinki, Finland
Con ac :
Olli Rissanen,
Uni e si y o
Eas e n Finland,
Finland
[email p o ec ed]
Recei ed:
24 Feb 2017
Accep ed:
29 Aug 2017
ISSN: 1893-1049
Volume 7, No 3 (2017), e1957
h p://doi.o g/10.7577/pp.1957
Rissanen e al.: How has he eme gence o digi al cul u e a ec ed p o essional magic?
www.p o essionsandp o essionalism.com
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Expe ise and p o essionalism in he ield o magic
By elying on cul i a ed p o essional knowledge and skills, magicians ea n a li ing
by pe o ming in on o physical o i ual audiences. Reaching op-le el expe ise
elies on he sus ained cul i a ion o pe sonal compe ences, which a e ypically
guided by men o s. Top-le el magicians each hei expe ise in simila ways o o he
c ea i e p o essionals (e.g., w i e s, ac o s) and spo s mas e s (E icsson & Pool,
2016; E icsson & S a kes, 1996; La sen, 2016). The ield o magic is in e es ing
because he p ocess o becoming a p o essional magician is less s uc u ed and oc-
cu s wi hou o mal o ganized aining and educa ion. P o essional magicians in es
as amoun s o ime and esou ces in o de eloping hei skills. In acco dance wi h
o he domains, i akes app oxima ely 10 yea s o cul i a ing skills and compe encies
be o e one can become an expe magician (Rissanen e al., 2013). The ield o magic
in ol es de eloping p o essional me hods and echniques o delibe a e human de-
cep ion. Highly ega ded magical pe o mances ely on a sophis ica ed unde s and-
ing o human cogni ion, especially hinking and pe cep ion (Kuhn, Almani, & Ren-
sink, 2008). De eloping his p o essional expe ise is a mul i- ace ed p ocess in ol -
ing in e dependen echnical (mas e ing icks), a is ic (de eloping pe o ma i e
p og ams) and en ep eneu ial (making a li ing) compe encies. These compe ences
a e u he de eloped h ough p og essi e and a ge -o ien ed delibe a e aining
(Rissanen e al., 2013).
The magicians’ wo king ield can be seen as a ba leg ound on which con inuous
p o essional claim-making and nego ia ions akes place. Acco ding o Bou dieu
(1996), a is ic p o essionals and s akeholde s sa egua d hei speci ic in e es s and
s uggle o in luence h ough subconscious p ocesses o symbolic bounda y wo k.
A ield is an enclosed social sys em o posi ions occupied by specialized agen s and
ins i u ions, s uggling o common ield speci ic esou ces, asse s and acknowl-
edged epu a ion (Bou dieu, 1986, 1993a; B oady, 1990, p. 270; Gus a sson e al.,
2012, p. 13). In ields o c ea i e en ep eneu ship, epu a ion- ela ed symbolic cap-
i al is a guably mo e aluable han economic capi al. In he magician’s wo ld, he
agen s a e magicians, pe o mance selle s, show p oduce s, TV p oduce s, a ange s
o compe i ions, and c i ics w i ing abou hei pe o mances and membe s o magic
associa ions. In he magicians’ au onomous sub ield, he e is also a di ision be ween
well-known “old school” magicians and younge pe o me s, who lead a ge a acks
owa ds he “es ablishmen ,” aimed a acqui ing he sub- ield’s alued asse s. This
is whe e he s a egic impo ance o he name, he CV, he pe sonal b anding, habi us
o o he o ms o sel -commodi ica ion become aluable.
Digi al ans o ma ions in he ield o magic
Magic is one o he oldes o ms o en e ainmen , and h oughou his o y, magicians
ha e emb aced new o ms o echnology (Du ing, 2002). O e he las 10 yea s,
majo ad ances ha e also been made in ou scien i ic unde s anding o magic (Ren-
sink & Kuhn, 2015), and insigh s in o he cogni i e mechanisms behind hese p in-
ciples ha e ecen ly been combined wi h de elopmen s in a i icial in elligence o
p oduce new ypes o magic icks (Williams & McOwan, 2014) as well as new
echnologies ha use p inciples common in magic (L’Yi, Koh, Jo, Kim, & Seo,
2016). These changes do no only conce n magical ins umen s and icks bu also
collegial ela ions be ween wha we e p e iously ela i ely isola ed ac o s as well as
ela ions be ween magicians and hei audience. Pe sonal social ne wo ks play a c i -
ical ole in ields, such as magic, whe e he e a e no o mal aining and educa ional
esou ces (G ube , Leh inen, Palonen, & Degne , 2008; Na di, Whi ake , &
Schwa z, 2000; Rissanen, Palonen, & Hakka ainen, 2010). Cu en ly, he pu sui o
p o essional magic is embedded in a mul i ace ed ne wo k o expe magicians who
engage in a ple ho a o ac i i ies such as con e ences, wo kshops, and online magic
o ums.
Rissanen e al.: How has he eme gence o digi al cul u e a ec ed p o essional magic?
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The digi al cul u e has adically ans o med he powe ela ions wi hin he p o-
essional ield o magic. Magic has adi ionally been a closed and sec e i e subcul-
u e, whe e knowledge has only been ans e ed be ween indi iduals who ha e es-
ablished a signi ican le el o us in each o he . The necessa ily sec e i e na u e
o magic implies ha magicians we e equi ed o closely gua d mos o hei
knowledge abou hei own magic icks. Al hough access o his sec e i e in o -
ma ion used o be la gely es ic ed o expe magicians (Rissanen e al., 2014), he
digi al cul u e in gene al and In e ne , in pa icula , ha e changed he ease wi h
which his in o ma ion can be accessed. Be o e TV, ideos and he In e ne , lea ning
magic elied on a agile men o ela ions and he suppo o senio expe s who held
s ong ga ekeepe posi ions. These ga ekeepe s (Bou dieu, 1993a; 1993b) ac ed as
inspec o s, e alua ing he newcome s’ compe ence and willingness o en e he ma-
gicians’ p o ession. Fo newcome s, his us was es ablished h ough sus ained e -
o s and socially ecognized achie emen s. In he pas , geog aphical cons ain s
made i di icul o newcome s o ind an adequa e men o , and gaining access o
ad anced knowledge was a slow p ocess; such indi iduals depended upon a high
le el o us ha hey g adually ob ained h ough in o mal ne wo king e o s (Ris-
sanen e al., 2013). In his a icle, we examine how he digi al cul u e has changed
he ole o he adi ional ga ekeepe gua ding his sec e magical knowledge. The
In e ne has c ea ed a so-called ‘ama eu p o’ cul u e, whe e p o essional knowledge
ac oss all domains, including magic, is a ailable o anyone (Gee & Hayes, 2011);
his has adically changed he cul u e o magic and associa ed powe ela ions. Al -
hough sha ing complex p o essional knowing may s ill equi e signi ican e o and
mo i a ion, he digi al cul u e has signi ican ly lowe ed he cogni i e cos o sha ing
one’s knowledge (Shi ky, 2010). Such sha ing p o ides social ecogni ion o one’s
accomplishmen s, and he e is a s ong mo i a ional incen i e o doing so.
In he p esen a icle, we examine he e ec o he eme ging digi al cul u e on
p o essional pu sui o magic. We in e iewed highly ega ded Finish magicians o
explo e how he digi al cul u e has changed hei p o essional pu sui s. We examined
hei e lec ions on he changes ha ha e modi ied he p ocesses o becoming a p o-
essional magician in di e en a eas. The esea ch ques ions guiding ou in es iga-
ion a e as ollows:
How has he digi al cul u e changed he ole o he adi ional ga ekeepe ,
whose ask i was o gua d sec e knowledge?
How ha e online magic u o ials changed he way new magic icks can be
lea n , and wha a e hei limi a ions?
How has he digi al cul u e changed he en ep eneu ial ac i i y o magicians
ep esen ing di e en gene a ions?
Me hods
Pa icipan s and he con ex
We used ou bodies o da ase o analyse how he digi al cul u e has ans o med
he cul u e o p o essional magicians. Fi s ly, he social ne wo king ques ionnai e
was adminis e ed o 120/148 well-known Finnish magicians and o he in luen ial
backg ound people ( esponse a e: 81%; age dis ibu ion: 17–86 yea s) (Rissanen e
al., 2010). Secondly, on he basis o he social ne wo k da a, we iden i ied 16 p o-
essional magicians as subjec s o semi-s uc u ed hema ic in e iews ocused on
he e ec s o digi al echnological ans o ma ions no add essed in ou ea lie pub-
lished s udies (Rissanen e al., 2013; Rissanen e al., 2014). Thi dly, we ca ied ou
supplemen a y in e iews on 10 o he 16 p e iously in e iewed indi iduals since
he i s ound did no p o ide su icien ly de ailed in o ma ion. All in e iews we e
analyses as one in eg a ed da ase . Fou hly, 16 magicians we e sen a ques ionnai e
abou how hey cu en ly use digi al echnologies, bu since one esponden who had
Rissanen e al.: How has he eme gence o digi al cul u e a ec ed p o essional magic?
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ended his ca ee as a magician da a om his pa icipan was excluded.
Figu e 1 p esen s a social ne wo k g aph ep esen ing he social ecogni ion o
magic expe ise; he pa icipan s selec ed o he in e iews o ep esen di e en
gene a ions a e ma ked by colou ed nodes. The magicians’ pee e alua ions we e
used o c ea e indica o s o nomina ing p ominen magicians (i.e., numbe o pee s
ecognizing hei p o essional accomplishmen s). The analyses indica ed ha social
ecogni ion was no co ela ed wi h age. Mos o he magicians we e males. We,
he e o e, decided o include wo emale magicians in he in e iew sample o com-
pensa e o he gende imbalance. Al hough one o he in e iewees was some-wha
pe iphe ally loca ed in Figu e 1, he magician was selec ed because o his o he
“ ising s a ” s a us in he indus y. The o e all sample o pa icipan s was selec ed
o analysis because he in e iewees we e ea ning a li ing as highly ega ded p o-
essionals in he ield. The in e iewees ep esen ed di e en gene a ions: one was
bo n in he 1940s, and he o he s we e bo n in he 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s. In o de
o p o ec pa icipan s’ anonymi y (M1–M16), some o he in o ma ion (e.g., gende )
is no epo ed in he a icle. The in e iews we e ca ied ou in Finnish, and he
Finnish au ho s assumed esponsibili y o analysing he quali a i e da a.
Figu e 1. Social ne wo k g aph de ailing social ecogni ion o magical expe ise
(n=120).
The size o he nodes was de e mined acco ding o he deg ee o ega ded p o es-
sional ecogni ion. Whi e nodes ep esen a magician wo king in he ield (n=104),
and colou ed nodes ep esen highly ega ded pa icipan s (n=16) selec ed o in e -
iews acco ding o he di e en decades (1940s–1970s) in which hey we e bo n
(1940s: lilac; 1950s: o ange; 1960s: g een; 1970s: yellow).
Da a acquisi ion and analysis
Va ious aspec s o he magicians’ p o essional expe ise we e examined h ough he
semi-s uc u ed in e iew (K ale & B inkmann, 2009). The in e iew was designed
o add ess he pa icipan s’ ways o expe iencing echnological, social and cul u al
Rissanen e al.: How has he eme gence o digi al cul u e a ec ed p o essional magic?
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changes in he magical ield as well as hei use o he In e ne . We add essed nine
main hemes conside ed o be ele an o assessing he ans o ma ion o he cul u e
o he p o essional pu sui o magic: (1) beginning a ca ee as a magician, (2) he
na u e o he magical pe o mances, (3) espec ing he magician’s p o ession, (4)
acing he p o essional challenges, (5) magic as a p o ession, (6) he eme gence o
magical socie ies, (7) en ep eneu ial issues, (8) he ole o digi al cul u e and (9)
an icipa ed u u e o he ield. The leng h o he in e iews anged om 57 minu es
o h ee hou s and 37 minu es. The leng h o all o he in e iews oge he was 41
hou s and 28 minu es.
The ansc ibed in e iew da a we e quali a i ely analysed using he ATLAS. i
6.2 p og am (see www.a las i.com). The p og am allows ansc ibed in e iew ex
o be p esen ed in one column, which acili a es iden i ying and ma king quali a-
i ely di e en ex segmen s. The coding o each ex segmen is p esen ed in an-
o he column. Ini ially, he in e iews we e ead se e al imes o ge an o e iew o
he cen al con en s and hemes. Subsequen ly, he da a we e analysed o ind com-
mon hemes and dis inguishing ea u es in acco dance wi h he da a-d i en app oach
(F ank, 1995). The analysis was pa ially da a-d i en and pa ially heo y-in o med
in na u e.
Ca ego isa ion o he da a was conduc ed independen ly by wo code s who e-
pea edly me , compa ed obse a ions and esol ed disag eemen s. Nex , he ex seg-
men s ele an o he pu poses o he p esen in es iga ion we e ca ego ized in o he
same he meneu ic ca ego y o exclude i ele an ma e ial, such as de ailed pe sonal
ecollec ions o one’s ca ee . On he basis o he code s’ mu ual discussions, he da a
we e ca ego ized acco ding o h ee main hemes: (1) cul u al changes, (2) digi al
cul u e, and (3) en ep eneu ial ans o ma ions. In es iga ing changes in he cul u e
o p o essional magic (1) eme ged hemes ela ed o ga ekeeping and es ic ed
knowledge closely ela ed o Bou dieu’s ield heo y. Digi aliza ion was connec ed
wi h he eme gence o knowledge sha ing cul u e. The de elopmen o digi al cul-
u e (2) b oke impo ance o ga ekeeping and knowledge con ol because o me ly
sec e knowledge has become a ailable o e e ybody.
Each ca ego y was analysed in de ail o iden i y sub- hemes. In e es ing obse a-
ions occu ing du ing he analysis we e documen ed in he associa ed o new AT-
LAS. i codes. Finally, he da a we e sc eened o quo a ions and comp essed desc ip-
ions ega ding a ious aspec s o he magicians’ ac i i ies. The quo a ions we e se-
lec ed a esea ch mee ings o accu a ely desc ibe he indings by using he pa ici-
pan s’ own wo ds. Table 1 p o ides an example o quali a i e analysis o he da a
ega ding ga ekeeping and knowledge con ol.
Rissanen e al.: How has he eme gence o digi al cul u e a ec ed p o essional magic?
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Table 1.
An example o ca ego izing ga ekeeping ela ed hemes.
Da a excep
Comp essed con en
Subo dina e
ca ego ies
Supe o dina e
ca ego y
Main ca e-
go y
Theme 1. Cul u al changes
Yes i was qui e a di icul si ua ion,
when he e was no place whe e you
could ecei e ins uc ion and he e was
no In e ne in hose days. When he
books we e ead, i was a di icul s age
o ge o wa d.
Di icul y o ge ing
in o ma ion abou
magic.
The limi ed
a ailabili y o
p o essional
ma e ial.
In o ma ion
es ic ed o
us ed new-
come s.
Con olling
newcome s
le el o
in e es and
commi men .
Ga ekeeping
esul ed o e-
s ic ed ac-
cess o magi-
cal ma e ials
and in o -
ma ion.
The
connec ions
be ween
Bou dieu's
ield heo y
and he dig-
i al
cul u e.
Then i was also so, ha no magic icks
and gadge s we e sold o you un il you
became somehow known, ha e e yone
knew ha you a e a magician as a
hobby.
The gadge s and icks
we e only sold o
known newcome s.
I you s a ed by calling xxx and ied o
o de Chinese Rings, he didn' sell hem
o you. You had o be a hobbyis o
some ime o be able o buy some o
hese ine, be e icks.
Newcome s ha e o
indica e se ious
hobbyism o ge ing
be e icks.
He didn’ send he Joke o he magic
ick when you ied o o de some hing.
He could e en say ha his ick is no
sold o ama eu s.
Ce ain icks we e no
sold o ama eu s.
Theme 2. Digi al cul u e
A e he YouTube became a ailable,
you can ind any hing he e i you hi
he igh sea ch e ms. This has c ea ed
an illusion, ha knowing is he same as
being able o pe o m icks. When you
know some sec e s, o cou se does no
imply you can pe o m hem. Bu gain-
ing knowledge and in o ma ion is much
as e han in he old days.
The easiness o ge ing
in o ma ion om
YouTube. Con usion
be ween knowing and
compe ence. The
ela ion be ween he
books and ideo.
Accessing
knowledge
and ins u-
men s be-
came easie .
Magical in-
o ma ion
sp eads eely
a e he
eme gence o
in e ne .
The ole o
YouTube in
inding
sec e s.
The digi al
cul u e e-
sul ed o ee
dis ibu ion o
magical
knowledge
and
knowhow.
The magician ship somewha loses i s
glamou o mys e iousness, when all
he in o ma ion abou magic and icks
a e so easily a ailable, and i doesn’ e-
qui e much e o s and ouble. You jus
check on YouTube, and he e a e all he
magicians in he whole wo ld. In he old
days, you had o do a lo o ha d wo k
be o e you could each a leas some un-
s able, shaking VHS- ideo, o when a
magician pe o med on TV, we wai ed
weeks be o e we could see i .
The magical
knowledge is easily
a ailable on he In e -
ne . I used o be nec-
essa y o do
emendous amoun o
wo k o inding ele-
an in o ma ion.
In p inciple, anyone can ind any ick
on YouTube and maybe e en ind a
hund ed e sions. He can wa ch i so
many imes ha i (sec e ) somehow
opens up. Ea lie his was impossible,
we had no chance o ge ing in o ma ion
abou he icks a all.
The easiness o dis-
co e ing he sec e s o
any ick.
All o he a ge ed pa icipan s (n=15/16) esponded o he ques ionnai e aimed
a examining he ole o digi al echnology and cul u e in he p o essional ac i i ies.
One p o essional magician had ended his ca ee as a magician and was he e o e
Rissanen e al.: How has he eme gence o digi al cul u e a ec ed p o essional magic?
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excluded om he analysis. The magicians we e sen an e-mail asking hem o an-
swe he Google Fo m ques ionnai e online. The ques ionnai e included wo main
hemes: Fi s , he esponden s we e asked o assess he signi icance ha digi al ech-
nology and associa ed applica ions had in hei wo k as p o essional magicians. The
esponden s could choose one o mo e o six possibili ies, including (1) inding in-
o ma ion abou magic, (2) becoming amilia wi h he wo k o o he magicians, (3)
imp o ing hei own pe o mance, (4) imp o ed ma ke ing o sha ing o pe o -
mances wi h he audience, (5) c ea ing no el y o (6) no pa icula signi icance. This
sec ion included 20 i ems. Second, hey we e asked o assess he le el o in ensi y o
engaging in di e en ypes o digi ally media ed ac i i ies in hei p o essional li es.
This sec ion included 13 i ems add essing a ious digi al applica ions, such as e-
mail, YouTube, Twi e , and Facebook. Each i em equi ed assessmen o use on a
se en-s ep scale: (1) ne e , (2) once o wice pe yea , (3) mon hly, (4) weekly, (5)
daily, (6) many imes pe day and (7) con inuously.
Resul s
The esul s sec ion is o ganized as ollows: Fi s ly, we explo e how digi aliza ion
has a ec ed ways o ansmi ing magical knowledge and especially examine he
changing ole o ga ekeeping in he p o essional pu sui o magic. Secondly, we
examine how online u o ials ha e changed he lea ning o magic compe ences.
Thi dly, we analyse how he ans o med en i onmen has a ec ed he magicians’
en ep eneu ial ac i i ies.
How has digi al cul u e changed he ole o he adi ional
ga ekeepe ?
We examined he e ec o he digi al cul u e on p o essional p ac ices by asking he
in e iewees o e lec on he co esponding hemes included in he sel - epo ing
ques ionnai e (n=15). Ou sample ep esen s se e al gene a ions o magicians. Be-
ween 1970 and 2016, he mos impo an sou ces o p o essional in o ma ion we e
ob ained om books, TV, ideos, DVDs, PC p og ams, mobile de ices, he In e ne
and associa ed digi al applica ions. The echnological changes ollowed each o he
in 10- o 20-yea pe iods, and he magicians we e o ced o adjus o he socio- ech-
nological in as uc u e changes in hei p o essional ac i i y. Figu e 2 ela es o he
in e iewees magic ca ee s wi h digi al ans o ma ions in he ield.
Figu e 2. Rela ions be ween p o essional ca ee s o he in e iewed magicians and
echnological ad ances om 1970 o 2016 (ICT Lounge, 2016; In e ne Li e S a s,
2016; Rissanen e al., 2013).
Rissanen e al.: How has he eme gence o digi al cul u e a ec ed p o essional magic?
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Ou analysis e ealed ha he eme gence o books, TV, ideos, DVDs, and social
media signi ican ly a ec ed ways o ansmi ing p o essional knowledge and docu-
men ing and sha ing magical pe o mances. The eme gence o ideo-based cul u e,
which was ollowed by DVD echnology in he ollowing decade, eplaced he ole
o books as he main pa hway o lea ning abou magic icks and pe o mance cul-
u e. Magicians om younge gene a ions ha e been socialized o wo k h ough TV,
DVDs and In e ne applica ions, such as YouTube, om he e y beginning o hei
ca ee s. In he pas , mos magicians sol ed p oblems by discussing hem pe sonally
wi h o he magicians o h ough engaging in c i ical sel - e lec ion. Cu en ly, he
In e ne is conside ed o be he mos impo an means o inding in o ma ion
(n=15/15), ge ing o know he wo k o o he s (n=14/15), ma ke ing and sha ing pe -
o mances (n=14/15), sha ing one’s own pe o mances (n=12/15) and c ea ing new
icks (n=10/15).
The digi al ans o ma ion en ailed adical changes in ga ekeeping p ac ices. In
he pas (up o 1980s), he bes -known magicians and magic associa ions (e.g., he
Finnish Magic Ci cle) ac ed as ga ekeepe s in e ms o deciding who was allowed o
ob ain he magicians’ sec e s, join he associa ions and pa icipa e in hei join mee -
ings. Ga ekeeping enabled he es ablished magicians o p o ec hei sec e s and ca e-
ully selec collabo a ing pa ne s and hose who go o know he sec e s o hei
icks:
I was ying o subsc ibe o he Joke i-magicians’ jou nal, which could no be
done wi hou being a “ eal” magician. Then, Solmu ( amous highly ega ded ma-
gician) ecommended me, and I go he jou nal. Ano he ime, I ied o become
a membe o he Pe o ming A is s associa ion, bu I was oo young, p obably
he younges e e selec ed as a membe , bu ha was no possible be o e Solmu’s
ecommenda ion, which opened up he possibili y o membe ship o me. (M6,
1970s)
A no ice magician had o demons a e o he socie y, h ough his o he own ac ions,
including success in a con es and highly ega ded public pe o mances, ha he o
she was su icien ly sui able and skill ul o en e he associa ion’s membe ship. The
ga ekeepe s’ con ol unc ioned on wo le els: con ol o he indi iduals and con ol
o he ma e ials. Be o e he ime o he In e ne , in o ma ion was sha ed piece by
piece on he basis o me i :
The olde magician old me abou he magicians’ jou nal Genii, and he old us
he add ess o he jou nal, and we go in ouch wi h i and we e able o o de i ,
no icing ha he e a e hund eds and hund eds o magic s o es a ound he wo ld.
I all came in small pieces: one magician old you his, and ano he showed you
ha o ge one s ep o wa d in magic. (M10, 1950s)
In he ea lie decades, magic p ops we e sold (o sha ed) only wi h hose whom he
olde magicians knew o be eal en husias s and commi ed o he p ac ice and cul i-
a ion o hei compe encies. I you wan ed o o de Chinese Rings, o ins ance, ha
was no possible un il you had p ac iced enough and had been a hobby magician o
a long ime.
No icks o o he gadge s we e sold o you un il you had been known somehow
as a hobby magician. (M7, 1970s)
The digi al ans o ma ion changed he ole o ga ekeeping. The powe o he o me
ga ekeepe s (p o essional magicians) dwindled because e e y hing was suddenly
a ailable ia he In e ne , and any hing could be s udied wi hou hei app o al. In
he pas , magicians commonly sol ed p oblems by discussing hem pe sonally wi h
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o he magicians o h ough engaging in me e sel - e lec ion. Today, he In e ne has
become he p ima y place om which answe s abou p o essional p oblems and
inqui ies a e sough . Al hough one can easily acqui e in o ma ion om he In e ne ,
i does no eplace he expe ise o ellow magicians. Fo knowledge-sha ing and
p o ec ing p o essional sec e s, magicians ha e c ea ed us ed pa ne ships wi h
hei colleagues.
I don’ ask o ad ice anymo e, bu i do I ask, I ge he ad ice—maybe I should
ask mo e. I don’ know. The e a e some colleagues wi h whom I discuss, maybe
one o h ee people wi h whom I discuss he echniques and di e en me hods,
e c. (M16, 1970s)
The eme gence o he digi al cul u e unlocked all o he sec e s o he magic p o es-
sion; his may po en ially unde mine he e y basis o he magical p o essions. How-
e e , he e is a e y low le el o quali y con ol, because all o he icks and hei
sec e s a e a ailable and can be bough online by i ually anyone. Simply buying
magic icks and knowing hei sec e s does no , howe e , u n people in o p o es-
sional magicians. Many o he in e iewees we e wo ied ha , in many cases, p ac-
i ione s’ know-how emains supe icial because ue mas e y o magic equi es a
deepe unde s anding ha is only gained om he inne ci cles o he magic commu-
ni y. This only becomes possible by en e ing he magic associa ions, pa icipa ing in
in e na ional con e ences and by es ablishing con iden ial con ac s and ela ions wi h
eal p o essionals. While he In e ne has made much o he ma e ial a ailable o he
masses, he ga ekeeping s uc u es a e in some way s ill p esen oday, al hough in a
mo e hidden o m.
Online magic u o ials change o lea n magic
Lea ning magic inc easingly akes place h ough digi al ne wo ks ha p o ide ools
and applica ions o easily app op ia ing magical know-how. The in e iewees
s ongly highligh ed he signi icance o YouTube o lea ning magic icks and o
sha ing magical compe ence. All o he esponden s used YouTube (n=15/15) o
lea n abou o he magicians’ wo k. They also commonly used i o ind in o ma ion
and ma ke ing (n=13/15) as well as o sha e hei pe o mances wi h new audiences
(n=12/15). YouTube o e s a as lib a y o magic pe o mances and u o ials ha
magicians can use o lea n new icks and me hods. YouTube p o ides easy access
o as bodies o in o ma ion, and many no ice magicians use i as an online po al
o access magical knowledge. Lea ning p ac ical aspec s o pe o ming magic icks
(i.e., how a ick should be implemen ed in p ac ice) becomes much easie wi h
YouTube compa ed o w i en ins uc ions. Ou in e iewees we e accomplished
magicians who had al eady acqui ed hei expe ise be o e he in en ion o YouTube.
Consequen ly, hey did no alk ex ensi ely abou pe sonal expe iences lea ning
icks ia online u o ials bu ne e heless acknowledged he impo ance o online
u o ials o newcome s.
Lea ning icks om YouTube has subs an ially and quali a i ely ans o med he
way magic is lea n . Al hough he a ailabili y o a wide a ie y o magic icks on
he In e ne acili a es lea ning many aspec s o magic ac i i ies, he in e iewees
highligh ed ha i s usage could also lead o mo e shallow p o essional compe ence
in e ms o ecycling eady-made icks and pe o mances:
And hen he e is an emba assing amoun o e e y hing a ailable, so you don’
know whe e o s a . I was somehow good ha a ha ime he e we e no so
many oppo uni ies, and one had o ocus on only a ew hings. Now he e is his
as ood phenomenon: igh away, o he nex and nex , which c ea ed new chal-
lenges. (M5, 1970s)
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