Psychology

As the need for international cooperation in confronting global challenges increases, and the pace of technological innovation quickens, the possibility of creating media capable of facilitating such cooperation becomes ever more tenable. Evolutionary Guidance Media is a systemic framework designed for those individuals and organizations interested in creating such media; specifically, media capable of advancing human evolution, promoting  global ethics, planetary consciousness, and integral aims. This article briefly outlines an application of the Integral Operating System to Evolutionary Guidance Media, resulting in a more encompassing framework: EGM-Integral.

We are now well aware that advances in information and communication technologies enable us to exercise an influence that extends, not only across the globe, but well into the future. This influence is not limited to a few, but is increasingly becoming the province of many. How can we use our enhanced technologies to communicate the importance of foresight? How do we transmit the “cognition and imagination of possible and desirable futures”? While there are many answers to this question, none is perhaps more fundamental than narrative, for it is through our stories, our mythos, that we co-create our shared experience of the world (Campbell, 1993; Krippner, 1994). Currently we find our communities, societies, and the natural world, in an unsustainable place, in large part due to continued adherence to outdated positivistic, mechanistic, materialistic worldviews—narratives that support fragmentation and competition. Foresight, by its very nature, requires something more than opposition and struggle for resources— It requires cooperation, empathy, and the willingness to share resources. Thus, if we are to effectively communicate foresight, we must begin by communicating the holistic narratives that have unfolded within and throughout the scientific and philosophic communities (Laszlo, 1972; Bateson, 1979; Capra, 1982; Bohm, 1980; Macy, 1991; Wilber, 1995; Sahtouris, 2009), this essay explores the application of an Integral framework for foresight communication: EGM-Integral.

Last summer, IONS members were invited to participate in a study designed to investigate the characteristics of a new incarnation of the hero archetype: the cyberhero. A total of 304 individuals from 32 countries participated in the study. The following is a summary of the findings; the full article, “The Hero and the Internet: Exploring the Emergence of the Cyberhero Archetype,” can be accessed online at Media Psychology Review (www.mprcenter.org/mpr/).

Our existing model of media, based upon a consumptive-materialist–atomistic orienta- tion, falls short in seeking to promote mainstream awareness of systemic and integral thinking in society-at-large. This paper presents evolutionary guidance media, a new model for media arising from evolutionary perspectives including systems science, humanistic, transpersonal and integral studies designed to promote planetary conscious- ness and give rise to an ecological–spiritual–integral mindset. Two key elements of evolutionary guidance media are discussed: a databank containing purposeful data from nine or more dimensions of human activity, and transception, the infusion of cyberception with qualities arising from mutual causality. Specific types of transception are introduced including Gaiaception, Agoraception, and Dharmaception. Organizations and companies already in the process of creating green media, socially responsible media, and spiritual, or transformational media are vanguards of the development of conscious media.

ABSTRACT: As the problematic conditions in the world appear to grow exponentially, finding new methods to ensure the survival of our planet is paramount. Creating a new guiding mythos that promotes psycho-spiritual growth is considered necessary to create a sustainable world. This article presents the conceptualization of one approach to facilitate such growth: evolutionary guidance media (EGM). Media, appropriately designed, has an important role to contribute in actualizing the transpersonal vision in society-at-large. EGM is an exploration of the application of the transpersonal orientation to the field of media, and refers to media designed both in content and context specifically for the purpose of guiding and/or facilitating the expansion of planetary consciousness. This article presents a framework based on evolutionary guidance systems and offers a sampling of the exploration and visioning process and the data collected to elucidate that vision.

Millions of individuals are using the Internet to act on behalf of the needs of other people, animals, and the environment; however research in this area is limited. To encourage such research, this exploration involved a review of research in the area of altruism and the Internet, as well as an Internet-based search for websites that facilitate digital actions that result in benefit to other people, animals, or the environment. To differentiate this research from that of e-philanthropy, the websites selected did not require a monetary donation from the visitor. Gruber’s (1997) analysis of altruism, as a spectrum of activity, was utilized to evaluate the websites. The evaluation revealed three forms of digital altruism: “everyday digital altruism,” involving expedience, ease, moral engagement, and conformity; “creative digital altruism,” involving creativity, heightened moral engagement, and cooperation; and “co-creative digital altruism” involving creativity, moral engagement, and meta-cooperative efforts.

Although the bulk of psychological research continues to focus on the negative uses of the Internet, i.e., cyberbullying and the cyberbully, the total number of people engaging in acts of digital altruism and other forms of pro-social digital activism exceeds 100 million (Klisanin, 2011). Who are these people? While there has been little investigation in this area, Klisanin (2010a) theorized that the most dedicated among them represent the first incarnation of a new archetype: the cyberhero. Embodying a transpersonal sense of identity, as ideal forms, the cyberhero represents individuals motivated to act on behalf of other people, animals, and the environment using the Internet and digital technologies in the peaceful service of achieving humanity’s highest ideals and aspirations, e.g., world peace, social justice, environmental protection, and planetary stewardship. To investigate this theory, a self-report questionnaire was designed and distributed on-line to individuals engaging in digital altruism, a form of digital activism considered to result in benefit to others. The results support earlier theory, suggesting that the cyberhero is a viable embodied archetype worthy of further investigation.

Social media and interactive technologies are being used to save lives, find cures for deadly diseases, and address global challenges including social injustice, poverty, disease, climate change, and species loss. This research explored this prosocial moral activity and its impact on the social construction of heroism through investigating a variety of diverse social media initiatives including, Causes.com, Kony 2012 Campaign, and Avaaz.org. The research draws upon the “heroic imagination” construct and finds that just as interactive technologies and social media have profoundly impacted the social, economic, and political spheres, among others, so too they are impacting the mythic and moral spheres—giving rise to a new form of heroism described as collaborative heroism. Because heroism is a social construct that is historically and culturally determined, collaborative heroism provides us with new ways to expand our moral identities and with them, our self-concept and sense of self-efficacy. Our heroes can be cyberheroes, and we, with access to interactive technologies can use it, and our social networks, to act collaboratively with heroic results. Expansion of the moral sphere via collaborative heroism empowers individuals of all ages to take compassionate action and to confront global challenges.

The age of interconnectivity is transforming our world. Joseph Campbell, the well-known comparative mythologist, pointed out the important role technology—a product of culture—plays in expanding human consciousness. Interactive technologies have come to define our culture. They are the means through which we read the news, listen to music, watch TV, and play games, and as such they influence and shape our modes of perception and behavior. The theory of collaborative heroism, for example, suggests that modern day expressions of heroic behavior are manifesting in collaborative form. This empirical investigation explored the theory of collaborative heroism via assessment of a sample population through a process of item generation, sampling, and factor analysis. A robust 5-factor structure emerged with consensus among participants supporting various aspects of the theory including 1) Collaboration expands heroic potential; 2) Internet technology expands heroic potential; 3) Heroes are motivated to protect and serve; 4) Heroes are responsive to injustice; 5) Concern for others is a required ingredient.

Interactive technologies have come to define our culture, and as such, they influence and shape our modes of perception and behavior. This empirical investigation explored the public's perception of the impact of the Internet on heroism via assessment of a sample population through a process of item generation, sampling, and principal component analysis. A robust 5-component structure emerged with consensus among participants including: 1) Collaboration expands heroic potential; 2) Internet technology expands heroic potential; 3) Heroes are motivated to protect and serve; 4) Heroes are responsive to injustice; 5) Concern for others is a required ingredient. The results extend research in collaborative heroism, supporting the basic premises of the theory, suggesting that the tools of the networked society are impacting the social construction of heroism, expanding it such that heroism is evolving to meet the demands of the 21st century.

The EGM-­‐Integral model is an interdisciplinary approach to research, design, and education for those interested in ecologically responsible, socially responsible, and socially conscious media design—increasingly known as social impact media. This article introduces the EGM-­‐Integral model to design educators interested in interdisciplinary media design education. Key features of the model are described including ten interactive dimensions of human activity and transception, a construct that posits the use of digital technologies to extend the faculties that make us most human, including compassion and generosity. An overview of case studies from contemporary media (advertising campaigns and films) that exemplify the goals of the ten dimensions is provided, followed by detailed descriptions of case studies that represent the social action, economic, and wellness dimensions. Social media campaigns are shown to be a practical means for bringing transception from the realm of theory into action and play an important role in the design of media for social impact. Keywords. Evolutionary guidance media, integral media, interdisciplinary design, social impact media, socially responsible design education Introduction. We are living in century of unprecedented challenges, but also at a time in history when a great deal of what is good for humanity is known. As designers, it is our responsibility to put that knowledge into practice such that we promote healthy synergy between humankind and the greater web of life-­‐ but how? We begin by asserting that design—dynamic, creative, decision-­‐oriented inquiry in which imagination is made manifest through the integration of knowledge, skill, and insights—can and should be used for human and planetary betterment. By opening ourselves to such a perspective, we simultaneously place ourselves on an evolutionary journey. Rather than designing to maintain the status quo, we design from an empathic perspective, fully engaging our senses in the process by considering the impact of our designs on the wider web of life. Designing anew keeps our species evolving-­‐ the difficult part is letting go of what no longer serves our betterment. As the primary communicator of new ideas and information to the masses, media plays a pivotal role in steering the direction of societal evolution. In a world saturated by more products and forms of media than ever before, designers have a heightened responsibility to convey messages and means through which we can co-­‐ create healthy ways of being in the world. This places a great deal of responsibility on the shoulders of design educators. The Evolutionary Guidance Media-­‐Integral (EGM-­‐Integral) model is designed to support such efforts, and involves the