Uploaded January 2023 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Dr. Marcus Anthony
Beijing Institute of Technology
Cultivating Digital Wisdom in the Age of Digital Dumbness
How can we use our experience in negotiating online worlds and technological devices to facilitate an awakening or wisdom process across broader humanity? This presentation is the culmination of three years of research entailed in the Power and Presence project (Anthony, 2023). The prime argument of this presentation is that there can be no Mindful Metaverse without Digital Wisdom, one of the five pillars of the Authentic Self (Anthony, 2012, 2023). Our species needs to inculcate a greater capacity for Digital Wisdom in order to safely navigate the future digital society and create a Deep Future. There has been much bad press given to the rise of digital technologies and Web 2.0, and it may be argued that the advent of surveillance capitalism, mass distraction and the pervasive emotional dramas of media/social are facilitating general psychological immaturity and degrading wisdom. It would thus be tempting to assume that the digital society is incompatible with the interceptive awakening traditions, which emphasize mindfulness and cognitive responsibility. Yet there are ways that current technologies and online spaces can help facilitate self-awareness and wisdom (Anthony 2022, 2023). The key question is then, can we respectfully instill higher order consciousness structures throughout populations, while avoiding the pitfalls of the religious, moral and authoritarian mindset? This paper introduces the idea of Digital Wisdom (Anthony, 2023) and how it can be part of a broader psychological and spiritual awakening. Digital Wisdom comprises three parts.
Know yourself is understanding how the mind functions. It includes being conscious of our trigger points, including bringing awareness to our psychological issues and residual trauma. Of great importance is being able to attain mindful attention at will, which establishes the ability to assume an internal locus of power.
Know the humans is understanding how we human beings function cognitively, physiologically and culturally. It includes understanding our tendency towards projection, confrontational binaries and tribalism; and key concepts like cognitive dissonance, negativity bias and the primary attribution error. Helpful also, is being attentive to bad faith discourse. In coming to better understand relevant human biology and cultures, we can be better prepared to deal with darker side of others; while also taking things less personally, and being more compassionate to others’ faults.
Know the machines is the knowledge of how the internet and commonly used technologies function in relation to human cognition. This includes understanding essential concepts like echo chambers, surveillance capitalism, algorithmic behaviour, audience capture, information feeds, techgiant profit models and so on.
The drama and projections commonly experienced online can be seen as a kind of amplification of the ego, and that gives us an opportunity to more deeply understand the mind at a practical level. The web is thus a place where we can facilitate a deepening into presence and even awakening, by being mindful to our own behavior, and that of others we encounter online. The facilitation of Digital Wisdom requires genuine intentionality and the honouring of our Authentic Selves and those we encounter online. It requires a commitment beyond personal and tribal identities.
Presented at the 2022 Conference of the Society for Consciousness Studies.
The Society for Consciousness Studies is a professional scholarly organization that honors work of quality from all authentic scholarly traditions, including philosophical, psychological, sociological, and other scientific understandings of consciousness.
consc.org
Dr. Marcus Anthony
Beijing Institute of Technology
Cultivating Digital Wisdom in the Age of Digital Dumbness
How can we use our experience in negotiating online worlds and technological devices to facilitate an awakening or wisdom process across broader humanity? This presentation is the culmination of three years of research entailed in the Power and Presence project (Anthony, 2023). The prime argument of this presentation is that there can be no Mindful Metaverse without Digital Wisdom, one of the five pillars of the Authentic Self (Anthony, 2012, 2023). Our species needs to inculcate a greater capacity for Digital Wisdom in order to safely navigate the future digital society and create a Deep Future. There has been much bad press given to the rise of digital technologies and Web 2.0, and it may be argued that the advent of surveillance capitalism, mass distraction and the pervasive emotional dramas of media/social are facilitating general psychological immaturity and degrading wisdom. It would thus be tempting to assume that the digital society is incompatible with the interceptive awakening traditions, which emphasize mindfulness and cognitive responsibility. Yet there are ways that current technologies and online spaces can help facilitate self-awareness and wisdom (Anthony 2022, 2023). The key question is then, can we respectfully instill higher order consciousness structures throughout populations, while avoiding the pitfalls of the religious, moral and authoritarian mindset? This paper introduces the idea of Digital Wisdom (Anthony, 2023) and how it can be part of a broader psychological and spiritual awakening. Digital Wisdom comprises three parts.
Know yourself is understanding how the mind functions. It includes being conscious of our trigger points, including bringing awareness to our psychological issues and residual trauma. Of great importance is being able to attain mindful attention at will, which establishes the ability to assume an internal locus of power.
Know the humans is understanding how we human beings function cognitively, physiologically and culturally. It includes understanding our tendency towards projection, confrontational binaries and tribalism; and key concepts like cognitive dissonance, negativity bias and the primary attribution error. Helpful also, is being attentive to bad faith discourse. In coming to better understand relevant human biology and cultures, we can be better prepared to deal with darker side of others; while also taking things less personally, and being more compassionate to others’ faults.
Know the machines is the knowledge of how the internet and commonly used technologies function in relation to human cognition. This includes understanding essential concepts like echo chambers, surveillance capitalism, algorithmic behaviour, audience capture, information feeds, techgiant profit models and so on.
The drama and projections commonly experienced online can be seen as a kind of amplification of the ego, and that gives us an opportunity to more deeply understand the mind at a practical level. The web is thus a place where we can facilitate a deepening into presence and even awakening, by being mindful to our own behavior, and that of others we encounter online. The facilitation of Digital Wisdom requires genuine intentionality and the honouring of our Authentic Selves and those we encounter online. It requires a commitment beyond personal and tribal identities.
Presented at the 2022 Conference of the Society for Consciousness Studies.
The Society for Consciousness Studies is a professional scholarly organization that honors work of quality from all authentic scholarly traditions, including philosophical, psychological, sociological, and other scientific understandings of consciousness.
consc.org
