My reading asks why abduction is a familiar theme in popular culture. The answer, as I’ve been arguing, involves the theatrics of space produced by NASA, the shift from outerspace to cyberspace, and the widespread crisis of truth as we begin dealing with the real virtualities of the information age. These three lines intersect to create a site capable of being occupied by reports of abduction. The establish an environment where stories of abduction can flourish, can get attention and become noticed as making claims to truth. What they don’t do is explain abduction reports per se.
– Aliens in America (1998), p. 123