YEOJUNG

My research question stems from a further, more fundamental, yet evasive question: how can we find our purpose in life?  It started with the idea of finding happiness, but I quickly realised that it could be the suffering loop.

Today, many of us live with a sense that something is missing. Each of us harbour our own struggles and frustrations, and sometimes we resort to giving up in order to find a sense of ease in our life, though this often leaves us unfulfilled- like a thirst that you’ve failed to satisfy. We may at times find ourselves so exhausted by the sheer relentlessness of life, that we have created the concept of burnout syndrome. 

For those of us who had been taught to prioritize and idealize hard work, the 2010 concept of ‘Yolo’ burst onto the scene like an oasis. ‘You Only Live Once!’ rationalised our consumerism and became a mantra for the would-be workaholic. Like Tempus fugit Carpe diem. Yolo was a call to arm for those who had denied themselves enjoyment and light relief. 

The latest self-improvement trend for teens and people in their 20s is so-called ‘brain hacking’. This trend takes its cue from a self-improvement trend called dopamine detox, which reduces the brain’s dependence on dopamine by cutting out dopamine-stimulating factors or addictive behaviours for a period of time. In its current iteration, it takes the form of a digital detox to stop unconscious scrolling, although it can also involve cutting out sugary foods and graphic images. The goal is to reset the pain-pleasure balance by cutting off stimuli. 

Simon Sinek says that anything worthwhile in life requires constant investment. The results of this take a long time, and in our current culture of convenience and accessibility, it’s easy to get caught up in the futility of not achieving what you want immediately. Therefore, we are essentially re-training ourselves to cope with delayed gratification; the ability to voluntarily withhold immediate pleasure and tolerate the ensuing frustration. In light of this, reading self-help books or announcing your plans in advance of their enactment can be de-motivating. Affirmations, though potentially personally validating, have the potential to inhibit a person’s sense of dominance over their own life. Manifestations similarly take the onus away from the speaker and project it onto the universe, rendering the individual a passive entity. 

Our culture is increasingly preoccupied with positive feedback loops, in which our brains form pathways in response to positive affirmation in the outer world. This theory posits that we need to start a trend of positivity, and that in self-development, even in flow, reward is key to eliciting new rewards. Think positively and you will achieve positive things, which in turn, make you think more positively and therefore achieve further positive things. This essentially argues that we need to reduce the release of dopamine for long-term rewards.

However, it seems that the nihilism of the Epicurean school, after Ataraxia, has reared its head once again, in that we are once again seeking pleasure through pain, as the Stoics did.  We must therefore ask ourselves where Apatheia – the pursuit of nirvana beyond desire- fits into to this modern maelstrom of pleasure seeking.

Balancing pleasure and pain is the ultimate goal. I believe that when we can accept both the sweet and the sour, we allow ourselves space to enjoy the beauty of life in all its aspects.

New age again?

New age spirituality combining them with pseudoscientific promising.

“self-care, breath, relaxation, a new state of being, a vision of the future instead of the memories of the past, let the thought become the experience, let the experience create the emotion”

“It sounds like it’s science, it sounds like scientific evidence, but it’s not.”

When the crowd didn’t see results, They blamed themselves for not working hard enough, for letting too many negative thoughts slip into their consciousness. There was no room for questioning whether the method was flawed or didn’t work. Anyone who didn’t see success simply wasn’t a true believer. This is the way cults work on people looking for miracles.

-the desire for alternative solutions.

-self-acceptance instead of hyper self-management: liberation

-a way of dissciating from reality we live in, but we have to live in this reality.

What is emotion?

Fehr and Russell (1984) observed succinctly: “Everyone seems to understand what an emotion is until they are asked to define it. At that point, no one seems to know” (p. 464). In one of the most influential works on emotion, James (1884) addressed the question of what emotion is, emphasising that a plethora of definitions had been proposed before he introduced his own theory. However, the diversity of approaches to understanding emotion didn’t end with James’ seminal work; since the beginning of the 20th century, emotion has been conceptualised in a myriad of ways. These interpretations of emotion vary according to a variety of factors, including historical and cultural contexts, as well as the different theoretical frameworks in which they are embedded.

To address the challenge of defining emotion explicitly, Kleinginna and Kleinginna (1981) analysed nearly one hundred definitions of emotion. Their analysis revealed that these definitions emphasised different facets of emotion, which could be grouped into eleven categories. For example, some definitions emphasised the physiological aspects of emotion, while others emphasised expressive behaviour. Some perspectives treated emotion as a disruptive factor (e.g., related to psychopathology), while others focused on the functions of emotion (e.g., related to evolutionary advantage). The task of defining emotion and distinguishing it from other affective phenomena (such as mood, preference, attitude, passion, affect) is not easy.

Theoretical approaches to emotion and its measurement

Is emotion a bodily reaction? Is emotion a feeling?

The debate between James-Lange and Cannon-Bard theories underscores two distinct approaches to understanding emotion. According to the James-Lange theory, developed independently by William James and Carl Lange, emotions arise as a response to physiological changes that occur after we perceive an emotion-inducing event. In this view, bodily reactions are primary, preceding the actual emotional experience. James argued that without the bodily reactions associated with an emotion, the emotion itself would cease to exist.

Contrarily, the Cannon-Bard theory posits that the perception of an emotion-inducing event and the physiological response to it happen simultaneously, originating from the central nervous system, particularly the thalamus. Walter Cannon and Philip Bard disputed the James-Lange theory, arguing that the physiological responses associated with different emotions lack specificity and can be similar in non-emotional states. They also noted that removal of bodily reactions did not eliminate emotions and artificially inducing such reactions did not evoke the associated emotions.

These differing theories sparked a significant controversy known as the “sequence problem”, focusing on the order of physiological and emotional responses to an emotion-inducing event. While the James-Lange theory has been influential due to its originality and testability, it was challenged by Cannon and Bard’s centralist approach, which proposed that emotions are first and foremost a brain-based phenomenon

Measuring bodily reactions and bodily feeling

All contemporary major theories of emotion regard bodily reactions as a crucial element of emotion. For instance, according to appraisal theories, physiological responses facilitate emotion expression and initiate action tendencies. Therefore, their measurement is of significance. When investigating emotions, a wide array of psychophysiological indicators can be utilized and combined. They all mitigate self-report biases. The selection of these indicators should be driven by the specific research question, not simply by the aim to “measure a given emotion.”

These measures often pertain to cardiovascular responses (such as heart rate, heart rate variability, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, pre-ejection period, total peripheral resistance), electrodermal activity (like skin conductance level, skin conductance responses), respiratory activity, postauricular reflex, or startle reflex measurement. Indicators such as heart rate and startle reflex amplitude tend to reflect emotional valence, while skin conductance and pupil diameter are more related to arousal. Some primarily indicate sympathetic activity (like skin conductance level), a combination of sympathetic and parasympathetic activity (like heart rate), or predominantly parasympathetic activity (like heart rate variability).

The physiological changes triggered by emotion form an integrated pattern of responses, making it crucial to carefully choose and analyze the relevant psychophysiological indicators for a specific study. Several guidelines for different measures can be found on the Society for Psychophysiological Research website.

Different ways of measuring emotions cross-culturally

Depending on how one defines affect and cognition, affective sciences can either be seen as integrated with or complementary to cognitive sciences. Emotion, though a concept often applied in everyday life, can also be defined and studied scientifically. Several theories have conceptualized emotion, and great strides have been made in studying emotion and its effects in terms of concepts, methods, and measures over the past century.

Contemporary approaches to emotion each have their own specific definitions and core tenets concerning emotion. They notably differ on the emotional component they focus on, such as expression, action tendency, bodily reaction, feeling, or appraisal. However, they partially overlap, and there’s increasing conceptual clarity around emotion, often seen as a rapid process focused on a relevant event. During an emotional episode, elicitation mechanisms shape an emotional response composed of changes in several components.

Emotion is a complex and highly interactive phenomenon, hence there’s also increasing agreement around emotion measurement. All measures (e.g., self-reported or physiological) are relevant for understanding emotion, and their selection largely depends on which aspect(s) of emotion one wishes to study. Much is at stake when using a measure to properly capture what one intends to measure, making the issue of emotion measurement one that needs careful consideration. Moreover, it’s important to keep in mind that measuring emotions can impact the emotional response itself.

Timing is a crucial factor when trying to measure emotions, especially in applied settings. The advent of virtual reality, which allows participants to be immersed in realistic situations, can facilitate the elicitation of emotions that are closer to real-life situations. This immersive technology offers a controlled, yet realistic context to study natural emotional expressions and emotional recognition.

However, trying to measure all components of an emotion simultaneously presents its own set of challenges due to the complexity of emotions. For instance, measuring the duration of an emotion is a complex task because it’s hard to distinguish whether it’s the duration of a new emotional episode (triggered by the memory of the event) or the duration of its first occurrence that’s being measured.

Over the past three decades, the rise of affective sciences has led to significant conceptual and methodological advancements in the understanding of emotions, as well as an influx of empirical findings. However, a critical question for current models of emotion is whether specific emotional domains can be adequately covered within the scope of existing general models of emotion or whether domain-specific models are necessary.

Models pertaining to the mechanisms of approach motivation, reward, and pain have typically been studied independently of emotion models. However, the field of emotion research would benefit greatly from formally considering the relationships of these constructs with key emotion sub-processes, components, or dimensions. The text concludes with a confident assertion that the coherent approaches offered by the affective sciences provide perspectives for a better conceptualization, understanding, and measurement of affective processes, particularly emotions.

References

Coppin, G. and Sander, D., 2021. Theoretical approaches to emotion and its measurement.

How can we understand and navigate the emotional dimensions that shape our experiences in this digital liminality?

In our rapidly evolving digital world, the concept of digital liminality offers a unique and powerful framework through which we can understand the complex interplay between our media environment and our emotions. This concept refers to the transitional state between traditional and digital media – a state in which we are constantly redefining our relationship with media and its influence on our emotional experiences. As we cross this digital liminal space, we are not just passive observers but active participants, shaping and being shaped by this dynamic digital landscape. The emotions we experience in this space significantly influence our online interactions, relationships and perceptions of the world. This project aims to explore these rich emotional dimensions, which remain as critical as they are fascinating to our understanding of the digital media environment.

Liminality

Liminality is a concept derived from anthropology, originally introduced by anthropologist Arnold Van Gennep and later developed by Victor Turner. The term “liminal” comes from the Latin word “limen”, meaning “threshold.”

In its most basic sense, liminality refers to a state of transition, the in-between phase in rites of passage or rituals where a person or group of people are no longer in their previous state, but have not yet arrived at their subsequent state. During this phase, they exist on the “threshold” between these two states.

Turner particularly associated liminality with symbolic actions, rituals, rites of passage, and ceremonies. He suggested that in these liminal moments, individuals are stripped of their usual identity and place in the social structure, leading to ambiguity and openness where new possibilities and perspectives can emerge.

In a broader and more metaphorical sense, liminality can refer to periods of change, uncertainty, and potential in many areas of life, including personal growth, societal changes, cultural shifts, and even in areas like media and technology. In these contexts, liminality often involves a sense of displacement or discomfort but also opens up room for innovation, transformation, and the re-negotiation of identity and structure.

Digital Liminality

Digital liminality refers to the concept of being in a transitional state or on the threshold within the digital realm. This can apply to various facets of the digital world, including technology, media, culture, and social interactions.

With the rapid growth and evolution of digital technologies, many aspects of our lives are perpetually in a state of flux or “in-betweenness.” For example, as we shift from traditional forms of media like print and television to online and social media, we find ourselves in a liminal space. This space is marked by uncertainty and a lack of established rules or norms but also offers opportunities for innovation and new forms of communication, expression, and interaction.

In the context of digital media, liminality can be seen in the constantly shifting roles and identities of users and producers, the blurring boundaries between public and private, or the tension between anonymity and surveillance. For example, a person might be a passive consumer of news in one moment, then an active participant in a social media discussion the next.

Digital liminality can also apply to the experience of being online itself. The internet can be seen as a liminal space where people can explore different aspects of their identities, connect with diverse communities, and engage with ideas and perspectives they might not encounter in their physical lives.

As we continue to navigate these digital liminal spaces, we’re constantly negotiating and redefining the norms, rules, and possibilities of these new digital landscapes.

Digital Liminality and Emotion

The interplay between digital liminality—the notion of ‘in-betweenness’ in the digital sphere—and the emotional aspects of our current media landscape presents a complex, multifaceted dynamic. As we transition from traditional media forms to an increasingly digitized environment, we find ourselves in a state of flux that encompasses the way we express, experience, and negotiate emotions.

This liminal digital space has significantly expanded our emotional vocabulary. Where conventional language might fall short, digital media platforms provide alternative modes of emotional expression, such as emojis, GIFs, and likes. Such elements, alongside a variety of others, afford us the possibility for more nuanced emotional communication. This evolution can be seen as a liminal shift from established, structured forms of emotional expression toward a still-evolving, more fluid digital language of emotion.

However, the blurring of boundaries inherent to digital liminality often gives rise to ambiguity and anxiety. The lines between public and private, real and virtual, personal and professional are increasingly indistinct, creating a challenging landscape for individuals to navigate. These fluid boundaries generate a continuous negotiation process, a constant reconfiguration of our digital lives that can lead to emotional strain.

Moreover, the emotional well-being of digital media users has become a focal point in discussions about our contemporary media environment. The proliferation of digital platforms has brought along a myriad of concerns such as cyberbullying, digital fatigue, and the mental health implications of social media use. These issues underscore the necessity of addressing emotional health within this liminal digital space.

Digital liminality offers a powerful framework for understanding the complex interplay between our current media environment and our emotions. As we continue to traverse this digital liminal space, it is crucial to consider the emotional dimensions of this journey, as they profoundly shape our experiences, relationships, and perceptions of the world.

As I began my summer independent study, I decided to reflect on the expert feedback I had received over the last months for setting my intervention’s direction.

I could have designed some expert interviews as my interventions, but I wanted to expand on my topic and tried to connect these to the fields I was interested in: emotion, language, memory and liminality, rather than narrowing it down. With this intention, I conducted an open interview since I learned to provide a platform for wider discussion during the last group interview of Korean professionals in visual production. It is crucial to hear the participants’ original thoughts, even if it takes a long time and is difficult to get clear answers, in order to get more diverse and new perspectives.

Some purposeful people showed frustration with my pace and criticised my tendencies in various ways; however, others were encouraging and tried to understand my wandering attitude. 

I take feedback in a constructive manner and am appreciative of honesty and, unfortunately, sometimes disapproval. There is no need to feel bad or despair because feedback is meant to set direction, not approval. I hated to admit it, but the experts’ points were completely accurate. I had a chance to talk with a tutor from the language development department at my institution. The tutor made valid and vast points which improved my holistic overview

Perhaps I was expecting different feedback from this interview. Because in my previous interview with an English expert who had never studied abroad but mater English by herself in Korea, I left with a strange feeling beyond her confidence. I needed another perspective on the relationship between language limitation and depression. 

There was a clear message in both interviews: “Don’t complain; it’s pathetic to bring up depression due to the language barrier.” There was no understanding and no sense of sympathy, just frustration with international students who were regarded as unprepared and incompetent. Of course, It was harsh, but thankfully, this feedback was a wake-up call.

As a non-native speaker and language learner, I thought it could connect to my research theme: the relationship between language and emotion, especially unexpressed emotion. But I realised that using my situation and experiences would prevent me from remaining objective. Furthermore, my current level of English could easily make this topic come across as the excuse of a” loser” (I still can not believe that she literally used this word) who doesn’t try enough. Sadly, I have to agree with this opinion. I should have tried harder, as the experts advise. It is likely that I neglected the development of my foreign language skills due to personal and professional influences. 

When people enter a new habitat voluntarily, they must be prepared before arriving and adapt as best they can. If some find this too difficult and develop emotional problems, they are often considered weak. Adaption or extinction: These are the rules of our ecosystem. We know the consequences of vulnerable individuals in society, so how do we create change for our humanity?

Surprisingly, another interview had a mutual point on a different topic. A filmmaker who has struggled for over 20 years said in the field, like most directors in Korea, “The world is changing, and we have to educate ourselves to keep up with this development. He advised me not to think we can change other people’s feelings. His voice was unusually firm, telling me – “don’t think you can change other people’s feelings, don’t even think you can be helpful” He also told me to mind my own business with the tone of the film scene.

After receiving the famous “Mind your own business” meme from Sympathy For Lady Vengeance, I thought I should do well my own thing first and then do something for others. I contemplated that my current knowledge and expertise hold the capacity to create changes by applying my imaginative ability. I made a final contact with an English expert in Korea to postpone the plan of the English Class for Remedy, hoping that there will be peace for many people who are frustrated by language limitations and end up feeling sad and sick.

However, there is a good side to this too. I will try to build up my English communication skills, and this topic will be my long-term research topic. Furthermore, If I were fluent in a second language, I wouldn’t have understood the frustration resulting from language limitations and recognised that language could hold emotion.

There were times when I was tempted to pick randomly from one of my twenty-plus topics, but I had to question myself as to whether I made the right choice. I could have given myself more autonomy. Choosing one research question and evolving may be efficient and desirable. But I decided to take the risk of making mistakes because I wanted to try doing things differently from before, and I also believe that mistakes can create much more fun things.

My initial motivation was to use this course to do something I had never done be. It was more challenging than I thought it would be to put aside my professional expertise to try something new. It took a lot of effort to draw conclusions in a different direction based on new situations and information rather than from my own experience. I had to challenge the perception that I was trying to find a different answer to a question that even I already knew the right answer. 

Some people don’t recognise that spending time pondering aimlessly is a real luxury. This opportunity is not a given and should not be taken lightly. I was exposed to this concept during this project, as I often felt I didn’t have enough time to think.

Too many races so far have left me cynical, but perhaps I’m just jaded. I am an interval runner, so I’m not going to get a medal anywhere, but regardless, however challenging, I am grateful and happy to have achieved my initial purpose.

What can we do if we feel that something important is being sacrificed for short pleasures, if we feel addicted to certain things, and if we are unable to focus to solve these problems?

Stolen focus is the result of a modern workplace that demands multitasking which is impossible for the human brain; sleep deprivation; less reading; chronic stiffness due to stress and overwork; cheap, poor diets; environmental pollution; rushed diagnoses and medication; and parenting and educational environment that fails to foster autonomous problem-solving in children. (Hari, 2022) Behind it all is ‘economic growthism’. 

Tech companies use algorithms that deliberately create addiction based on B. F. Skinner’s reward-reinforcement systems. The “attention economy” to keep users tethered to increase ad revenue is reinforced by “surveillance capitalism,” and only those who can afford it can get mindfulness, meditation, and dedigitalisation. 

What happens when we collectively become addicted to dopamine and lose our ability to focus? The results of the rat altruism experiment in Dopamine Nation made us think about how we, as a species, could become even more self-absorbed. This should mean that I, an addict of various things, cannot think of helping others. 

What made me despair about the expert interviews was that everyone seemed to take the position that it was the individual’s job to develop or die on their own and that it was unwise to try to help them. It diverts attention from the problem of the system that it is the individual’s job to solve a huge problem that has its roots in the culture, and it creates self-blame by placing the blame on the individual victim. So we need to demand better conditions from the system while simultaneously fighting on an individual level. 

“Old habits die hard, and new, stronger ones weaken the old ones”. We need to replace them with better ones in problematic addictions. In Mihai Csikszentmihai’s Finding Flow, he argues that humans need positive goals to remove the bad elements of life and fill the void. We need to set a goal for immersion, the object must be meaningful to us, and its difficulty must be such that it is not beyond our capabilities.

There is a need for ‘self-determination’ to get out of addictive behaviours. The criteria should be in a way that is sustainable for the individual to live in our new age.

References

Hari, J. (2022). Stolen Focus. Bloomsbury Publishing Ltd.

‌Lembke, A. (2020). Dopamine Nation: resetting your brain in the age of cheap pleasures. New York: Dutton.‌

Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi (1997). Finding Flow: the psychology of engagement with everyday life. New York: Basic Books.

LET VIRTUES MOVE FREE IN YOUR RESEARCH

Once upon a time…

In the Era of Distraction with fascinating lights on small glowing boxes, 

when people were sad or anxious about something unknown, the glamorous shining boxes were the most important source of relaxation for all the people in the world. Many were blinded by these lights until the boxes made up their entire existence, and they were so sightless they desired things they didn’t need.

But also, people couldn’t light up the light inside themselves despite the light holding immense power.

So, in short, it was a time of losing time and focus, and it led to people getting more anxious. Some thought that they were having their soul captivated by an invisible spirit. Others thought it might be a natural way to live in that era. 

In exactly these times, there was born a beautiful Idea. She was magical, and she was all about enlightening and encouraging people to find their true soul

and her Mission was to open their eyes and help them see what they needed to see. 

And the Idea had another very special mission to fulfil…

To carry the sparkling flames of hope, spirituality, curiosity, kindness, and self-control

(List and description of the ideas of the Virtues embedded in your project and how they are embedded.)

Finally came the Gardian to help the Idea to go through the Dark Labyrinth. He was in a parallel Universe, and he had the Power of three types of Thinking and five types of Consciousness.

In the beginning of the quest, he used the self-action

type of thinking in parallel with theological consciousness, but eventually used trans-action thinking with dramaturgical consciousness.

The only things they had to guide them through the Labyrinth were the three Pirate Maps of: the Context 1 & 2, the Social Systems and the Quintuple Helix of Innovation. 

Contexts 1 & 2

• Freedom

1. self-development/ quality of life (2)
2. Self-Sustaining (1)

• Location

1. selfrealization (2)

• Power 

1. Regulated (1)
2. lateral (2)

Social Systems was located in the following Systems and categories

Microsystem: Autonomy, Self-care, personal growth

Quintuple Helix of Innovation was including

They had to solve the Riddle of the Art, Science and Technology Spirits in order to go out of the Dark Forest and bring the Idea to the people. 

• The Science Spirits

Physiology, philosophy,

• The Art Spirits

immersive art (audio-visual content)

• The Tech Spirits

interactive/ high-resolution screen and related experts

Mirror, mirror on the Door,

who are the experts that

I need for this Project more 

to let me through that Door?

And they lived happily ever after, experiencing a refreshing moment in an enchanted space.

Because the world was different. 

That difference was that people started to see their own inner light rather than being driven by external desires and distractions, and this made their lives more meaningful through building self-awareness and emotional literacy, and the place became more beautiful than ever.

THE END

How can multisensory experiences better regulate the impacts of digital liminality among young adults in the creative industries?

As people live increasingly in digital worlds, “digital liminality,” which refers to being trapped between digital and physical worlds, has become more prominent, especially among creative industry professionals.

Thomassen articulates that liminality often isolates people from both digital and physical worlds (2018), leading to stress and other related issues (Gray, 2016). Further, this liminal state can lead to behavioural addiction (Thomassen, 2018), which can contribute to dissociative ‘out of body’ experiences (Van Der Kolk, 2015). Excessive exposure to multiple stimuli in today’s modern media environment has contributed to a digital addiction epidemic in South Korea, precipitating declining socialisation, romantic engagements and birth rates.

Given its pivotal role in behavioural addictions (Lembke, 2021), dopamine must be managed in any effective treatment. As “our eyes are the exposed brain” (Huberman, 2021), visual stimuli have profound emotional and cognitive impacts (Lang, Bradley & Cuthbert, 1997). As such, this study seeks to explore how dopamine levels might be regulated through multisensory experiences.

The influence of immersive art on mood has been widely acknowledged (Hadavi et al., 2022). Indeed, the complex relationships between art, emotions, and viewer experience are given a theoretical framework in Art and Emotion (Matravers,1998), which more broadly speaks to the relationship between emotions and multisensory art experiences (Wahab and Zuhardi, 2013; Vi et al., 2017).

In order to refine the focus of the initial intervention, I have interviewed creative industry experts in Seoul, encompassing filmmakers, art directors and visual specialists. These interviews provided valuable insights into the effects of visual content on the intentions and emotions of these stakeholders.

The first intervention will present participants living in Seoul between the ages of 20-25 with individual experiences and installations to facilitate a deeper understanding of how sensory experiences could elicit emotional change. Participants will be informed that it will involve sensory blocking and emotional video stimuli that could affect more emotionally sensitive people.

Young adults are disproportionately likely to suffer from digital liminality and are more susceptible to depressive thoughts and other mental health issues resulting from digital usage (Hunt et al., 2018; Twenge et al., 2018). Given that my principal language is Korean and I was
born and raised in Seoul, I hope to better related to the target audience through my deep connection and resonance with the local traditions and socio-cultural milieu.

Participants will be interviewed before undergoing a sensory blockage phase and then entering the installation space, where multisensory exhibits will attempt to provoke emotional change over 20-30 minutes. The content of these exhibits will be curated by professionals, to ensure a broad spectrum of perspectives and promoting neutrality. Participants will then be interviewed upon exit to assess impact.

Following the results of the first intervention, the second intervention will test the ability of multisensory experiences – including experiential 3D mapping of everyday spaces in Seoul – to seed fond memories of systems that trigger contemplative and restful emotions. The specific of this stage will be determined through analysis of the first test results.

Ultimately, this research aims to deepen our understanding of digital liminality and its relationship with emotion, visual culture, and liminal spaces. Furthermore, this study seeks to provide actionable recommendations on creating immersive visual experiences that seek to counteract digital liminality.

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For the younger generation, the contemporary digital landscape is a bustling workplace

To prepare for the initial intervention, I had a series of unstructured interviews with Korean professionals in the visual domain. Interestingly, the dialogue evolved into a generational discourse, revealing the shared sentiment of both younger and older generations: a feeling of marginalization, uncertainty, and diminished hope.

The discussions unveiled a common acknowledgement of increasing screen time dependency. However, the correlation between this digital immersion and a pervasive sense of anxiety remains unclear. Also their professional ties to the digital world, it’s not realistic for them to take drastic steps like a dopamine detox.

Interestingly, younger people tend to say they use online platforms more for career preparation than for fun. But regardless of why they’re online, most people mentioned feeling tired, nervous, and anxious. What they’re looking for is not necessarily a way to completely disconnect but a different kind of relaxation.

When asked what they expect from the cultural industry, responses varied. Some people wanted simpler, less anxiety-inducing content, while others felt it was up to the individual to manage their own issues and that there’s not much the creative industries can do.

The digital sphere is an inevitable reality of our times, and it’s up to us to decide whether to adapt or fall behind. It’s hard to measure the impact of cultural changes because they don’t happen overnight. We all just living up together.

 This leads me to hope that cultural spaces can provide relaxation through visual media. The potent influence of our environment, particularly visual stimuli, on our thoughts is a well-established fact. The emotions evoked by the brain’s reception of visual information weave narratives into our conscious framework. Such reflections have stimulated my curiosity about the potency of moving images in shaping emotions. I hope digital technology can be used as another means to do so. The juniors who were interviewed said that they were caught in the middle. Although there may be negative and unfamiliar feelings in digital liminality, there is an expectation that the space is more extensive and vaster than we feel. There will be enough space for us to explore and find good things for us.

내가 어린이였다면 ‘왜 뜬구름은 잡으면 안되는건가요 ?” 라고 천진난만하게 되물었을 찌도 모른다. 구름을 잡는것이 아무 소용없는 일이라고 너의 손에는 아무것도 남는것이 없을것이라고 친절 하게 이야기해주는 사람이 있을지도 모른다.

과학자들이 그랬나요? 구름은 손에 쥐면 남는것은 물방울일뿐이라고

어떤 예술가가 그랬나요? 저 구름이 아름다운건 우리가 멀리서 바라보았기 때문이라고

비평가가 그랬나요? 관찰자의 원함이 왜곡된 시각을 만들어 대상의 본질을 훼손한다고

선생님이 그랬나요? 내 경험에 구름 잡기에 성공한 학생은 없어 배워야할것을 배워.

아빠가 그랬나요? 그게 왜 필요한거냐!

엄마가 그랬나요? 구름을 잡으려는건 너무 위험한건 아니니?

나는 나에게 계속 물었다

뜬구름을

그래도 뜬구름 이 잡고싶은데 어떻게 해야하나요?

너가 너무 뜬 구름에 매몰된건 아닐까? “뭐라도 잘아는 사람을 찾아보렴”

심리학자는 이럴껀간요? 뜬구름을 잡고싶은 마음은 네안에 남아있는 트라우마인것이라고 ?

당신은 뭐라고 할건가요?

Catching Clouds

If I were a child, I might have innocently asked, “Why can’t I catch a cloud? Someone might have been kind enough to tell me that catching clouds would be useless, that you would end up with nothing in your hand.

Did the scientists say that? “If you hold the cloud in your hand, all you’ll have is water droplets.”?

Did an artist say, “Those clouds are only beautiful because we look at them from a distance”?

Did a critic say, “The observer’s desires create a distorted view, undermining the essence of the object”?

Did the teacher say, “In my experience, no student has ever succeeded in catching a cloud. Learn what you need to learn from here.”?

Did Dad say, Why do you need to catch a cloud in the first place?

Did your mum say, Isn’t it too dangerous to try to catch clouds?

I kept asking myself…

If I still want to catch a cloud, what should I do?

Are you too caught up in the clouds?

“Find someone who knows something.”

What would a psychologist say? The desire to catch a cloud is a trauma inside you?

What would you say?

“Digital liminality” is a concept that describes the transitional state or threshold people experience as they navigate between their online and offline lives. The term “liminality” comes from the Latin word “limen,” which means threshold. In this context, it’s used to convey the idea of being in a state of “in-betweenness.”

Given the pervasive nature of digital technologies in contemporary society, individuals often find themselves in a liminal space where their digital and physical lives intersect and blend. This can result in a sense of ambiguity or disorientation as they navigate different identities, roles, and realities across digital and physical spaces.

For example, one might feel caught in digital liminality when they spend a significant amount of time in digital environments for work or socialization and then struggle to fully disconnect and engage in their offline, physical lives. This feeling might be particularly prominent during times when digital interaction becomes the primary mode of communication, such as during periods of remote work or social distancing.

Liminality, space and the importance of ‘transitory dwelling places’ at work-Harriet Shortt

https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/0018726714536938