Compassion-Focused Technologies: Reflections and Future Directions
Compassion is a prosocial motivation that is critical to the development and survival of the human species. Cultivating compassion involves developing deep wisdom, insight, and understanding into the nature and causes of human suffering; and wisdom and commitment to take positive action to alleviate...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2021-05-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychology |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.603618/full |
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| author | Jamin Day Joel C. Finkelstein Brent A. Field Benjamin Matthews James N. Kirby James R. Doty |
| author_facet | Jamin Day Joel C. Finkelstein Brent A. Field Benjamin Matthews James N. Kirby James R. Doty |
| author_sort | Jamin Day |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Compassion is a prosocial motivation that is critical to the development and survival of the human species. Cultivating compassion involves developing deep wisdom, insight, and understanding into the nature and causes of human suffering; and wisdom and commitment to take positive action to alleviate suffering. This perspective piece discusses how compassion relates to the context of modern technology, which has developed at a rapid pace in recent decades. While advances in digital technology build on humankind’s vast capacity to develop practical tools that promise to enrich our lives and improve our social connections, in reality the effects are often far from benign. The motives underlying the development of many contemporary digital platforms seem rooted in competitiveness and capitalism; while modern social media and online platforms are having a profound and pervasive impact on the mental health and wellbeing of humans around the globe. Nonetheless, digital technology holds considerable potential to promote compassionate insight, wisdom, and prosocial behavior. We reflect on the current state of technology within human society and examine the notion of compassionate technologies; discuss how contemporary paradigm shifts such as the inclusive design movement may be harnessed to build tools and platforms that promote collective good and increase prosocial behavior; and highlight examples of initiatives that are harnessing modern technology to advance democracy, collective knowledge, and personal freedoms and agency. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T23:45:01Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f48635ebe4d14daeb778104867143c28 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1664-1078 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T23:45:01Z |
| publishDate | 2021-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychology |
| spelling | doaj.art-f48635ebe4d14daeb778104867143c282022-12-21T20:01:20ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychology1664-10782021-05-011210.3389/fpsyg.2021.603618603618Compassion-Focused Technologies: Reflections and Future DirectionsJamin Day0Joel C. Finkelstein1Brent A. Field2Benjamin Matthews3James N. Kirby4James R. Doty5College of Health, Medicine and Wellbeing, Family Action Center, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, AustraliaSchool of Medicine, The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United StatesPrinceton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, United StatesSchool of Creative Industries, College of Human and Social Futures, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, NSW, AustraliaSchool of Psychology, Faculty of Health and Behavioral Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, AustraliaSchool of Medicine, The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE), Stanford University, Stanford, CA, United StatesCompassion is a prosocial motivation that is critical to the development and survival of the human species. Cultivating compassion involves developing deep wisdom, insight, and understanding into the nature and causes of human suffering; and wisdom and commitment to take positive action to alleviate suffering. This perspective piece discusses how compassion relates to the context of modern technology, which has developed at a rapid pace in recent decades. While advances in digital technology build on humankind’s vast capacity to develop practical tools that promise to enrich our lives and improve our social connections, in reality the effects are often far from benign. The motives underlying the development of many contemporary digital platforms seem rooted in competitiveness and capitalism; while modern social media and online platforms are having a profound and pervasive impact on the mental health and wellbeing of humans around the globe. Nonetheless, digital technology holds considerable potential to promote compassionate insight, wisdom, and prosocial behavior. We reflect on the current state of technology within human society and examine the notion of compassionate technologies; discuss how contemporary paradigm shifts such as the inclusive design movement may be harnessed to build tools and platforms that promote collective good and increase prosocial behavior; and highlight examples of initiatives that are harnessing modern technology to advance democracy, collective knowledge, and personal freedoms and agency.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.603618/fullcompassiondigital technologyperspectiveextended realityhuman societysocial media |
| spellingShingle | Jamin Day Joel C. Finkelstein Brent A. Field Benjamin Matthews James N. Kirby James R. Doty Compassion-Focused Technologies: Reflections and Future Directions Frontiers in Psychology compassion digital technology perspective extended reality human society social media |
| title | Compassion-Focused Technologies: Reflections and Future Directions |
| title_full | Compassion-Focused Technologies: Reflections and Future Directions |
| title_fullStr | Compassion-Focused Technologies: Reflections and Future Directions |
| title_full_unstemmed | Compassion-Focused Technologies: Reflections and Future Directions |
| title_short | Compassion-Focused Technologies: Reflections and Future Directions |
| title_sort | compassion focused technologies reflections and future directions |
| topic | compassion digital technology perspective extended reality human society social media |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.603618/full |
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