Digital Technology vs Mindfulness… How About Both?

At first glance, it seems that mindfulness is a practical way to distance ourselves from the overwhelming nature of the digital technology world. According to an article on PsychCentral, mindfulness can “do what technology can’t do.”

Despite the contradiction, I want to explore instances of digital technology and mindfulness co-existing, rather than retracting.

Mindfulness’ purpose is to ground and focus us on the present, rather than getting swept up in thoughts and emotions – which can be exactly what happens when you become inseparable from certain parts of digital technology (ie: digital news on social media).

These kinds of interactions can eat up hours of our time, distance us from our relationships, and weigh upon our mental health.

However, digital technology is such an integral part of our lives that it wouldn’t be practical to have a one-or-the-other mindset. I like to consider futures where digital technology is used in favor of the user’s wellbeing.

Meditate in a Virtual Reality

Forbes wrote an article about combining meditation with Virtual Reality experiences. Apparently, this helps to personalize mediation experiences, which alleviates the learning curve for beginners.

Screen capture from Cubicle Ninjas' "Guided Meditation VR" game promotional video

The article provided a list of different kinds of VR meditation experiences, ranging from countless natural environments, guided meditations, tai chi, and chakra visualization.

These options can help engage people who would not otherwise find pleasure or interest in meditative practices.

Although these VR mindfulness experiences are exciting, they may not always the most practical or convenient depending on one’s budget or availability.

A More Immediate Example

Let’s look at mobile applications like Headspace and Calm, and even Penn State University’s own WellTrack app.

All of these can be used to create customizable, convenient, and habit-building meditative/mindfulness practices right through or current electronic devices.

Imagine: Right next to your social media app resides your meditation app. You start by putting a daily time limit on your social media applications. In the meantime, you opt for your mediation app to listen to guided meditations, education videos, and focus music playlists.

Allowing applications that promote mindfulness in the digital scene is the first step to regulating our relationship with digital technology through mindfulness.

My Future Contribution

In my senior thesis project I want to continue to explore the topic of using digital technology together – rather than two opposing forces.

I don’t have the thesis completely resolved, so it’s helpful to do preliminary research like this to see what has already been said, and what I can contribute in the future.