Transformative Experiences in Digital Environments

The "Transformative Experiences in Digital Environments" student conference, organized the Faculty of Philosophy at the University of Bucharest (through its Department for Theoretical Philosophy) in partnership with students from the Faculty of Psychology and Education Science, department of Cognitive Science, BA program in Cognitive Science, aims to bring together students and researchers in philosophy of mind, epistemology, cognitive science, philosophy of technology, in order to explore whether and how digital spaces afford such experiences, engaging philosophical, technological, and social perspectives to examine the transformative potential of our increasingly digital lives.

Digital environments increasingly permeate modern life, raising profound questions about their capacity to elicit transformative experiences—life-altering events that fundamentally reshape an individual's preferences, self-conception, or worldview (Paul, 2014). Unlike physical experiences, digital transformations occur in mediated, often virtual, contexts, where immersion, interactivity, and identity fluidity are uniquely heightened (Slater et al., 2020). Emerging evidence from immersive technologies, such as virtual reality (VR), suggests that these environments might be conducing to changes in empathy, behavior, and self-perception (Madary & Metzinger, 2016). However, challenges remain in understanding the epistemic dimensions of digital transformation, particularly in the context of decision-making under conditions of uncertainty and the unknowability of outcomes (Paul, 2015).

Panels

Digital Identities & The Self: Transformation or Fragmentation?

The interplay between identity construction and transformation in digital environments, such as social media, gaming, and virtual reality. 

•Can maintaining multiple online personas hinder the formation of an authentic self, or do these personas enrich identity?

•How do algorithms influence the ways we construct and transform our digital identities?

•What role do immersive technologies play in allowing individuals to experiment with or redefine their sense of self?

Decision-Making and the Unknowable: Predicting Transformative Outcomes Online

Challenges in predicting the transformative potential of digital experiences when preferences and identities are subject to change. 

•How do people make decisions about engaging in potentially transformative digital experiences when outcomes are unpredictable?

•What role do algorithms play in shaping access to transformative digital experiences? Do recommendation systems expand opportunities for transformation or confine users to echo chambers?

•Do digital platforms bear responsibility for the transformative impact of the experiences they offer?

Immersive Technologies as Catalysts for Transformation

The role of VR, AR, and AI in fostering life-altering changes in perception, empathy, and decision-making. 

•What unique characteristics of immersive technologies might enable transformative experiences? 

•Can VR experiences, such as simulations of marginalized perspectives, lead to long-term attitudinal changes?

•Are transformative experiences in VR or AR dependent on the realism of the simulation?

Transformative Experiences and Social Connection in Digital Communities

How digital platforms create or hinder transformative social connections and collective experiences. 

•How do transformative experiences emerge within digital communities, such as fandoms, forums, or online activism? 

•Can shared online experiences lead to collective transformation? 

•How do the dynamics of anonymity and visibility in digital spaces shape these transformations?

•What role do shared rituals or events in online spaces (e.g., virtual concerts, coordinated campaigns) play in creating transformative social bonds?

The conference will take place 9-10 April 2025, between 9 AM-  9 PM, local time for Bucharest, Romania. Regular presentations will be 20 minutes long, followed by 10 minutes long Q&A.

It will have a mixed format, in that speakers may choose whether they present online only or face to face at the event's location (if so, their session will enjoy a live audience, but it will also be streamed to remote participants).