Vipassana in the Digital Age: A Historical and Sociological Analysis of Buddhist Mindfulness as Resistance to the Attention Economy in Urban India

Vipassana meditation, rooted in Buddhist practice, serves as a form of resistance against the attention economy in urban India, where digital platforms commodity human attention. Drawing on primary Buddhist texts and secondary scholarly sources, the paper argues that Vipassana cultivates attentional autonomy, emotional regulation, and ethical awareness, countering algorithmic commodification and digital overstimulation. The study adopts a historical methodology and does not present new empirical data.

Study at a glance

Abstract

The rapid expansion of digital technologies has transformed human attention into a valuable economic resource, giving rise to what scholars describe as the attention economy. In urban India, where internet penetration, smartphone usage, and algorithm-driven platforms have become integral to everyday life, concerns regarding digital distraction, surveillance, and declining attentional well-being have intensified. This study examines Vipassana, an ancient Buddhist meditation practice, as a sociological response to the attention economy. Adopting a historical methodology and utilizing primary sources—including the Satipaṭṭhāna Sutta, Dhammapada, and S.N. Goenka's discourses—alongside secondary sources such as scholarly books, journal articles, government reports, and recent empirical studies, the paper explores how Vipassana cultivates attentional autonomy, emotional regulation, and ethical awareness. It argues that Buddhist mindfulness functions not merely as a spiritual discipline but as a contemporary form of resistance against algorithmic commodification of attention and digital overstimulation in urban India.