Uploaded December 2021 | Updated September 2026, 1 hour ago
Dr. Martin Hilbert
Professor, University of California – Davis
Society for Consciousness Studies 2021 Conference Presentation Title:
Digitally Immunity: preliminary results on consciousness against digital harms
Abstract: This is a preliminary presentation of the results of the “Digital Immunity Survey”. Our general hypothesis is that self-transcendence provides a natural immunity against digital harms (social media harms, online manipulation, misinformation, etc.) because both originate from the de-conditioning of stimuli and response in the mind. The common generative mechanism is a capacity for the de-conditioning of mental activity. In the case of self-transcendence, it is a de-conditioning from thoughts and emotions, and, as an extension, in the case of digital immunity it is a de-conditioning from (often tailor-made) digital stimuli. One is an extension of the other, as persuasive technologies act as extensions of the human mind, logging onto thoughts and feelings. In short, we explore if more advanced characteristics of consciousness development provide a natural immunity against digital harms.
Bio: Dr. Hilbert is Professor at the University of California, Davis. He tries to understand the role of digital information and algorithms in human development. He holds doctorates in Economics and Social Sciences (2006) and in Communication (2012), is associated with Communication and Computer Science at UCD, where he chairs the campus’s designated emphasis in Computational Social Science. Before joining academia, he created and coordinated the Information Society Programme of the United Nations Secretariat in Latin America and the Caribbean (2000-2014). He publishes what he discovers in academic journals such as Science, Psychological Bulletin, Trends in Ecology and Evolution, and World Development, and in popular outlets, including CNN, BBC, WSJ, Washington Post, The Economist, NPR, NatGeo, among others; and currently teaches online classes to over 40,000 students worldwide. More: martinhilbert.net
Dr. Martin Hilbert
Professor, University of California – Davis
Society for Consciousness Studies 2021 Conference Presentation Title:
Digitally Immunity: preliminary results on consciousness against digital harms
Abstract: This is a preliminary presentation of the results of the “Digital Immunity Survey”. Our general hypothesis is that self-transcendence provides a natural immunity against digital harms (social media harms, online manipulation, misinformation, etc.) because both originate from the de-conditioning of stimuli and response in the mind. The common generative mechanism is a capacity for the de-conditioning of mental activity. In the case of self-transcendence, it is a de-conditioning from thoughts and emotions, and, as an extension, in the case of digital immunity it is a de-conditioning from (often tailor-made) digital stimuli. One is an extension of the other, as persuasive technologies act as extensions of the human mind, logging onto thoughts and feelings. In short, we explore if more advanced characteristics of consciousness development provide a natural immunity against digital harms.
Bio: Dr. Hilbert is Professor at the University of California, Davis. He tries to understand the role of digital information and algorithms in human development. He holds doctorates in Economics and Social Sciences (2006) and in Communication (2012), is associated with Communication and Computer Science at UCD, where he chairs the campus’s designated emphasis in Computational Social Science. Before joining academia, he created and coordinated the Information Society Programme of the United Nations Secretariat in Latin America and the Caribbean (2000-2014). He publishes what he discovers in academic journals such as Science, Psychological Bulletin, Trends in Ecology and Evolution, and World Development, and in popular outlets, including CNN, BBC, WSJ, Washington Post, The Economist, NPR, NatGeo, among others; and currently teaches online classes to over 40,000 students worldwide. More: martinhilbert.net
