Mindful Media Innovation: A Buddhist-Inspired Conceptual Framework for Emotional Well-Being in the Digital Age
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Abstract
Digital media are now deeply embedded in everyday life, yet their rapid expansion has also intensified emotional challenges such as anxiety, distraction, compulsive engagement, and emotional dysregulation. Although scholarship on digital well-being has proposed various technological and psychological interventions, there remains no sufficiently integrative framework that systematically combines Buddhist contemplative psychology with media innovation to promote emotional well-being. This study addresses that gap by proposing the Buddhist-Inspired Media Pathways for Emotional Well-Being (BIMPEW) framework as a conceptual model for mindful and ethical media design.
The study employed a qualitative conceptual research design based on documentary analysis and integrative synthesis of scholarship in three interrelated domains: Buddhist contemplative psychology, media innovation, and digital well-being. Core Buddhist principles—sati (mindfulness), mettā (loving-kindness), and sīla (ethical conduct)—were synthesized with relevant media theories, including persuasive technology, narrative transportation, affordance theory, and flow theory.
The findings propose BIMPEW as a framework comprising four structural dimensions: creative content creation, mindful platform design, compassionate community cultivation, and ethical engagement protocols. These dimensions are operationalized through three implementation pathways—awareness, compassion, and wisdom—which together support emotional regulation, reflective engagement, and prosocial interaction in digital environments.
The study contributes theoretically by linking Buddhist psychology, media studies, and digital well-being within a single framework. Practically, it offers guidance for designers, educators, health practitioners, and media organizations seeking to develop digital systems that foster mindfulness, compassion, ethical awareness, and peace-oriented communication. Future research should empirically validate the framework across diverse cultural and technological contexts.
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