The Addicted Self in the Age of Information Technology
August 17, 2022
The addicted self in the age of information technology: Exploring the mind’s propensity for habitual and compulsive interactions
Neuroscience has characterized brain mechanisms related to addiction, including information technology addiction (e.g., internet, videogaming and betting). It has remained unclear how these findings on brain mechanisms relate to our understanding of mental processes, such as the “self”, and deliberate, habitual and addictive interactions.
Our commonsense intuitions of a “self” as an irreducible conscious intentional agent has been challenged by findings in diverse fields such as cognitive sciences, philosophy, and artificial intelligence. But the relationships between commonsense intuitions, brain mechanisms and science-based conceptualizations of mental processes have received little attention.
This roundtable is hosted by PWIAS Associate Christian Schütz and is designed as a dialog to synthesize current knowledge, identify unanswered questions and propose further research. The focus will be on exploring the current concept of the “self” as it pertains to deliberate, habitual, and addicted interactions of the individual with information technology, testing the utility of embodied and enactive concepts as comprehensive integrating approaches.
This 2020 PWIAS International Research Roundtable was postponed due to COVID-19. The Institute was pleased to host the event August 24 – 27, 2022.
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