Aliens Among Us? A Sociocultural Investigation of Extraterrestrial Belief Narratives

This article investigates the persistence of extraterrestrial “living among us” narratives as cultural constructs rather than empirical claims, situating them within the intersections of mythology, sociology of religion, folklore, psychology, and media studies. Using a narrative review with interdisciplinary synthesis, the study analyses historical cosmologies, modern UFOlogy, conspiracy cultures, and digital-era belief communities. Sources include recent peer-reviewed scholarship, folklore archives, government reports, and media artefacts. Analytical approaches combine discourse analysis of testimonies and online forums, comparative mythology, and thematic synthesis across sociology, psychology, and media theory. Findings reveal three continuities: first, alien narratives reproduce archetypal motifs of cosmic visitors and guides, functioning as modern myths; second, they address psychological and social needs by offering frameworks for coping with uncertainty, mistrust, and existential anxiety; and third, they are amplified by film, television, and participatory digital cultures, where UFOlogy circulates as both entertainment and folk religion. A key conclusion is the existence of an epistemological gap: while scientific institutions emphasise data and methodological rigour, popular belief validates alien presence through testimony, secrecy, and symbolic resonance. The study argues that aliens function as cultural mirrors, not scientific certainties, embodying societal anxieties while stimulating reflection on identity, otherness, and humanity’s place in the cosmos. Future research should explore corpus-linguistic patterns in alien discourse, psychological studies of belief formation, and the role of artificial intelligence in shaping extraterrestrial imagery.