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1 results

  • Chapter 6 - Digital Technology as a New Mind-Altering Force

  • from Part II - From Ritual to Regulation
  • Sheldon Lee Gosline, Beijing Foreign Studies University
  • Book:
    Altered Minds
    Published online:
    20 February 2026
    Print publication:
    05 March 2026, pp 163-198

  • Summary

    This chapter positions immersive digital technologies — particularly AI, social media, and VR — as emerging mind-altering forces that rival traditional substances in their capacity to reshape attention, emotion, and identity. It outlines how platforms exploit neurochemical pathways related to novelty, reward, and social validation, fostering dependence and cognitive distortion. The design principles behind addictive digital systems, such as infinite scroll, algorithmic reinforcement, and emotional simulation, are critically examined. The chapter argues that digital environments can produce states analogous to intoxication, including dissociation, flow, and affective deregulation. Special attention is given to the implications for youth development, mental health, and the structure of public discourse. In conclusion, the chapter suggests that digital systems may soon become the dominant agents of altered consciousness, with broad implications for society and governance.