Biopolitics of Techno-Mindfulness: Anthropological Reflections on the Issue of Modern App-Based Training of Focused Attention
Humans October 21, 2025 DOI: 10.3390/humans5040027 (opens in new tab)
Study at a glance
AI-extracted from the abstract| Characteristics | Ethnography Peer reviewed |
|---|---|
| Population | Multiple European locations |
| Topics | Buddhism Meditation |
| Keywords | Transformative learning Mediation Modalities Contemplation Biopower Ethnography Parallels Aesthetics Field mathematics Epistemology Environmental ethics Agency philosophy Invisibility Adaptation eye Personalization Contemporary society |
| Key findings | Digital devices, especially smartphone apps, democratize access to meditation but also transform it into a more individualized, commodified practice, potentially losing traditional discipline and philosophical depth. |
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.
Comparable studies
Other qualitative studies on meditation, most cited first.
Citations in the library
Cites 26
- Buddhist Modernism and the Rhetoric of Meditative Experience Numen 1995
- Mindfulness in cultural context Transcultural Psychiatry August 1, 2015
- Prevalence of meditation-related adverse effects in a population-based sample in the United States Psychotherapy Research June 2, 2021
- Prevalence of Mindfulness Practices in the US Workforce: National Health Interview Survey Preventing Chronic Disease December 30, 2016
- Designing, Prototyping and Evaluating Digital Mindfulness Applications: A Case Study of Mindful Breathing for Stress Reduction Journal of Medical Internet Research June 14, 2017
and 21 more in the library