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โExternal events may define conditions, but they do not determine the consciousness level of human response.โ โDr. David R. Hawkins
As AI continues to grow and integrate itself into society and humanity, the need for critical thinking, refined judgment, and conscious sense-making is vital. Technological influences continuously stream into our modern psyches. They are pervasive in their present medium, and I argue, pernicious as well.
The term โbrain rotโ has been used to describe the comically dark, undertoned nature of modern entertainment media consumption, resulting from the likes of reels and shorts. And as we are now starting to see, the effects of such consumption are deeper and more potent on our psychological well-being and personal intelligence than we might have imagined. Some psychologists and marketing experts have enabled entertainment and social media outlets with research-based, theoretical thumbscrews in order to leverage our own neurological reward systems and activities against us. Whether maliciously or not is not the point here, but rather, to raise our awareness of the nature of present-day media consumption. Critical thinking, refined judgment, and conscious sense-making are absolutely crucial if one wishes to keep their head above water here, so to speak; to maintain human intellectual integrity alongside AI.
Algorithms are fabricated to tailor to your direct sourced engagement. Content creators and corporations engineer content to be as salient and engaging as possible. Not only this, but the rise of AI content generation has led to a greater degradation of trust between humanity and media. We must be vigilant. How do you know what you are watching is reality? Can you say for certain it is not AI? Source your media from multiple outlets; synthesize your own conclusions.
To think is our human birthright. Cultivating awareness and conscious orientation is one of the greatest goals of humanity, and arguably, the most intrinsic to proceed with being. If one canโt think for themselves, are they truly human, or just an extension of someone, or something else? Integrate yourself with, do not be dominated by.
Look to the content and outlets that you engage with curiously, and lead with scrutiny. The nature of our technological and intellectual spaces are at a crossroads, but we possess the capacity to create our own path: by integrating directions from both. Through this we can truly thinkโnot just with AI, not just with technology, not just with mediaโbut with a clearer human awareness towards increasing personal and collective consciousness.