{"id":11853,"date":"2026-09-24T21:52:55","date_gmt":"2026-09-24T18:52:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/webpages.tuni.fi\/gamification\/?p=11853"},"modified":"2026-09-24T21:52:56","modified_gmt":"2026-09-24T18:52:56","slug":"sci-fi-helps-explore-interaction-with-technologies-inducing-altered-states-of-mind","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/webpages.tuni.fi\/gamification\/2026\/09\/24\/sci-fi-helps-explore-interaction-with-technologies-inducing-altered-states-of-mind\/","title":{"rendered":"Sci-Fi Helps Explore Interaction with Technologies Inducing Altered States of Mind"},"content":{"rendered":"
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In recent years, there have been growing reports of peculiar and exotic states of consciousness emerging from increasingly close interactions with modern technologies. Feelings of unreality of oneself and the surrounding world following intensive VR experiences, pseudo-hallucinatory experiences associated with excessive gaming, and awe, mystical experiences, or lucid dreams accompanying the development of biofeedback technologies represent only a small fraction of this phenomenon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But what if <\/strong>these digitally induced states<\/strong> become not merely an unintended effect of technology, but a deliberate component of a new type of human-technology interaction?<\/strong> We already see such states actively induced in medicine, spiritual practices, and art. In these cases, the state of consciousness shifts from being a default background context to becoming a designable parameter of user experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, empirical research on such practices remains constrained by their limited prevalence and an excessive focus on instrumental functionality. To overcome these limitations, in our recent article, \u201cDesigning the future of consciousness: A components framework and speculative implications,\u201d<\/strong> we examined speculative narratives from 25 popular science fiction novels to understand not only the key components of such interactions, but also their broader implications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The article demonstrates how analysis of science fiction literature can be used to investigate emerging forms of human-computer interaction. It organises a wide range of both existing and potential future instances of such interactions into a new framework comprising eight types of interaction (Fig. 1).<\/p>\n\n\n

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Figure 1: Types of interactions that involve digitally induced altered states of consciousness<\/em><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n

Several broad themes were identified which highlighted key discussion points around the potential societal impacts of these technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The first theme<\/strong> warns of the consequences of employing digitally induced altered states (DIAL) to enhance productivity within an increasingly demanding and competitive world, potentially reinforcing the very pressures they seek to alleviate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The second theme<\/strong> emphasises the transformative potential of DIAL, suggesting that technologically optimised forms of self-improvement may threaten both the continuity of personal identity and users’ autonomy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The third theme<\/strong> explores DIAL as programmable extensions of contemporary recreational practices, amplifying both their benefits and their unintended side effects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fourth theme<\/strong> examines the role of programmable altered states in escapism, where users may voluntarily immerse themselves in comforting fantasies, while others may be subjected to alternative realities imposed upon them without their awareness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The final theme<\/strong> considers the potential role of altered states of consciousness in transhuman transitions. In some cases, such states may serve as tools for overcoming human limitations, while in others they may function as bridges that help preserve humanity even within heavily augmented bodies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the phenomenon of DIAL encompasses a broad range of technologies, our article may be of interest to scholars and practitioners concerned with the futures of brain-computer interfaces (BCIs), brain-to-brain communication, human augmentation, sensory expansion, artificial modification of dreams and memories, deep brain stimulation for the regulation of emotions and sensations, as well as non-invasive yet deeply immersive environments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Belousov, A., Macey, J., Buji\u0107, M., Ojell-J\u00e4rventausta, T., & Hamari, J. (2026). Designing the future of consciousness: A components framework and speculative implications. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies<\/em>, 103926.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DOI: https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1016\/j.ijhcs.2026.103926<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

ResearchGate: https:\/\/www.researchgate.net\/publication\/413945530_Designing_the_future_of_consciousness_A_components_framework_and_speculative_implications<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In recent years, there have been growing reports of peculiar and exotic states of consciousness emerging from increasingly close interactions with modern technologies. Feelings of unreality of oneself and the surrounding world following intensive VR experiences, pseudo-hallucinatory experiences associated with excessive gaming, and awe, mystical…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/webpages.tuni.fi\/gamification\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11853"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/webpages.tuni.fi\/gamification\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/webpages.tuni.fi\/gamification\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webpages.tuni.fi\/gamification\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webpages.tuni.fi\/gamification\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11853"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/webpages.tuni.fi\/gamification\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11853\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11856,"href":"https:\/\/webpages.tuni.fi\/gamification\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11853\/revisions\/11856"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/webpages.tuni.fi\/gamification\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11853"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webpages.tuni.fi\/gamification\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11853"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/webpages.tuni.fi\/gamification\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11853"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}