The Augmented Cognition of Religion and Spirituality in Media

Abstract

Human-computer interaction (HCI) leads to augmented cognition (AC). Cognitive augmentation can be visualized as a pyramid with four layers: from bottom to top, these are data, information, knowledge, and wisdom. The data-information-knowledge hierarchy is well-known in data science; however, wisdom has often been left out. Wisdom is the ideal end of any practice that aims to augment user cognition. In this chapter, the cultural phenomenon of spirituality and the societal organizations of religion are implicated in HCI as important tools for wisdom-granting AC. The phenomenon and organizations in question are taken up in a landscape of digital HCI applications including video gaming and streamed visual and auditory content. It is shown that these media take up spirituality and religion in unique and novel ways, lending to interesting experiences for users. This chapter examines specific examples of the manifestation of spirituality and religion in contemporary digital culture. Such examples have been diffused across platforms like Twitch, YouTube, Discord, Amazon Prime Video and Netflix, Facebook, and Spotify. Attention is also paid to the global multimedia franchises Pokémon, Yu-Gi-Oh!, and Digimon, all of which take up god and the power of gods in reimagined ways. Role-playing games like Guild Wars and RuneScape are also discussed in this context. Through online dating, people are finding their soulmates virtually more than before, further implicating religion and spirituality in the computational realm. This chapter explores fake religion and playful mythology as a function of excited gaming communities and franchises. The “Godhead” phenomenon [1] is treated as the ultimate in augmented cognition that is not entirely or necessarily—yet is potentially—a function of human-machine symbiosis. Global possibilities for diverse activities, religious interaction, and learning about religion, spirituality, and mythology exist given HCI. There is potential for religious practice to augment cognition to the highest level in humanity, up to the soul and spirit levels of reality (both manifest and absolute reality, in Hindu metaphysics). With a strong cognitive foundation, augmented cognition can proceed for any given person. Augmented cognition can reach toward the highest levels of Wilberian holarchy and Blavatsky’s sevenfold constitution of man.