Biopolitics of Techno-Mindfulness: Anthropological Reflections on the Issue of Modern App-Based Training of Focused Attention

The adaptation of Buddhist meditation in Western societies is transforming the practice through digital technologies, especially smartphone apps. An ethnographic study across multiple European locations shows these tools make meditation more accessible but also shift it from a communal, philosophical practice toward an individualized, commodified self-care activity. Digital mediation democratizes access while potentially undermining traditional discipline and depth. The authors argue this change mirrors broader societal trends toward personalization and digitization, raising questions about the integrity of spiritual practices in the digital age and their evolution under Western epistemological influences.

Study at a glance

Abstract

With an emphasis on the adaptation and mediation of Buddhist meditation within Western societies, this study explores the transformative interaction of traditional contemplative practices and modern technologies. By means of an extensive ethnographic investigation carried out in multiple European locations, this study sheds light on the significant influence that digital devices—specifically, smartphone applications—have on the accessibility, practice, and conception of meditation. These digital tools become guides that not only democratize access to meditation but also fundamentally change its nature, making it more individualized, commodified, and integrated into the field of self-care and therapeutic modalities from a deeply philosophical and communal practice. This inquiry critically looks at the two outcomes of this shift: the good that meditation is now more widely available and the bad that it is losing its conventional discipline and philosophical profundity. This paper raises concerns about the integrity of spiritual practices in the digital age and their evolution under the influence of Western epistemologies by arguing that the digital facilitation of meditation practices parallels broader societal tendencies towards personalization and digitization.