week 7: neuroscience & art

    Learning about the convergence of the mind and art was enthralling. Professor Vesna’s lectures surrounding the unconscious mind and dreaming as well as the role of cocaine and LSD especially piqued my interest. In fact, I couldn't help but fixate on Professor Vesna’s question: is mind control inevitable?

    The theme of the mind–specifically, mind control–manifests itself in various art mediums. However, the theme is especially prominent in cinema and television. Movies like Inception (2010), Lucy (2014), Requiem for a Dream (2000) and many more explore the complex threadings of consciousness–highlighting the seemingly unexisting limitations of the human mind.

“Inception.” IMDb, 16 July 2010, www.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/.

    Though the notion of mind-control seems unfathomable, it is actually already in the works. In fact, with the progression of technology, scientists are able to use machines to access and analyze the patterns of one’s brain activity in an effort to gain insight into what they are thinking (Fields 2020). By controlling the electrical impulses in one’s brain–through things like electrical stimulation–one can treat many neurological disorders (Fields 2020). Or, with technology such as NextMind, one can use their own brainwaves to control day-to-day activities–such as sending a text or turning on the lights–without ever moving a finger (Protalinski 2020).

NextMind, www.ces.tech/articles/2020/nextmind.aspx. Accessed 15 May 2023.

    However, it can’t all  be peaches and cream when it comes to mind control. In fact, it is inevitably going to be used with the intention of torture. The ability to access one’s thoughts and feelings creates a greater surveillance state–allowing for unlimited information on individuals which can eventually be used against them (Perez-Sales 2022).

“Mind Control, Brainwashing, Torture .” Adobe Stock, stock.adobe.com/images/mind-control-brainwashing-torture/77692484. Accessed 15 May 2023.

    Matter of fact, mind control has been around for a while in more inconspicuous–and detrimental–ways. For example, social media is a powerful instrument of mind control; what you see exists in an echo-chamber in which ads and content are perfectly curated for the viewer in an effort to increase viewership and, consequently, profit (Lent 2016). However, contemporary social media is plagued with an influx of toxic agendas–such as those that promote white cisheteropatriarchial notions of beauty as well as the glamorization of drugs. This has been proven to have damaging effects on mental health, especially on young and impressionable audiences (Quander 2022). 

Gordon, Sherri. “How Social Media Negatively Affects the Teen Brain.” Verywell Family, 7 Nov. 2021, www.verywellfamily.com/ways-social-media-affects-teen-mental-health-4144769.

Works Cited


Fields, R. Douglas. “Mind Reading and Mind Control Technologies Are Coming.” Scientific American Blog Network, 10 Mar. 2020, blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/mind-reading-and-mind-control-technologies-are-coming/.


Lent, Jeremy. “Mind Control: It’s Happening to You Right Now.” Patterns of Meaning, 21 Apr. 2016, patternsofmeaning.com/2016/04/21/mind-control-its-happening-to-you-right-now/.

  

Pérez-Sales, Pau. “The Future Is Here: Mind Control and Torture in the Digital Era.” Torture, vol. 32, no. 1-2, 2022, pp. 280–90, https://doi.org/10.7146/torture.v32i1-2.132846.


Protalinski, Emil. “NextMind Ships Its Real-Time Brain Computer Interface Dev Kit for $399.” VentureBeat, 8 Dec. 2020, venturebeat.com/ai/nextmind-real-time-brain-computer-interface-dev-kit/.


Quander, Raven. “Social Media Is Slowly Killing Our Society.” THE HORNET NEWSPAPER, 10 Mar. 2022, thehornetonline.com/2022/03/10/social-media-is-slowly-killing-our-society/.


Images Cited


Gordon, Sherri. “How Social Media Negatively Affects the Teen Brain.” Verywell Family, 7 Nov. 2021, www.verywellfamily.com/ways-social-media-affects-teen-mental-health-4144769.


“Inception.” IMDb, 16 July 2010, www.imdb.com/title/tt1375666/.


“Mind Control, Brainwashing, Torture .” Adobe Stock, stock.adobe.com/images/mind-control-brainwashing-torture/77692484. Accessed 15 May 2023.


NextMind, www.ces.tech/articles/2020/nextmind.aspx. Accessed 15 May 2023.


Comments

  1. RicardoBernaldesma9May 17, 2023 at 2:27 PM

    Hi Kylie, I really enjoyed reading your blog on mind control. I found it really fascinating and had no idea that there is already work being made to be able to do it. One question that I do have is how will it be used good or bad? I had always thought that mind control would be something created in a more futuristic time so. knowing its already being made is really cool. I have also seen some of the movies you listed and thought they were really cool especially how it focuses on neurology as well.

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  2. kellyeunDESMA9May 17, 2023 at 9:42 PM

    Hey Kylie! I found your blog on mind control really interesting, especially considering how there are technological strategies and devices that already exist to influence and control brain activity. I also found it very insightful how you related this topic to social media and its impact on controlling people's behaviors. With social influencers (and internet access in general) being increasingly prevalent, it definitely is important to keep in mind this type of authority.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Jordyn GatherMay 18, 2023 at 10:23 PM

    Hi Kylie, I enjoyed reading your blog! I think the topic of mind control can be complicated, but also educational in the fact that it can be real. The idea of using mind control as torture is actually really scary because then you can get people to do whatever you want and can lead to chaos. I recently watched the movie Lucy for the third time a few weeks ago, and it still gives me chills that using a lot more percentage of the brain can lead to certain capabilities. It is a really cool concept to think about how the mind works and what it can do. Great blog!

    ReplyDelete

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