Ways to influence human consciousness through gadgets

Modern studies (Kraus, 2021; Small & Vorgan, 2008; Kurpatov, 2019) show that gadgets create a “paradoxical state” in the human mind, an overstrain of the nervous system described by Ivan Pavlov. This is a condition when the brain stops distinguishing between the important and the unimportant, and a person becomes vulnerable to manipulation.

1. How gadgets rewrite our brains

In his theory of the stages of damage to the nervous system (equalising, paradoxical, ultra-paradoxical), Pavlov described that with excessive stimuli, the brain begins to react “the other way round”: strong stimuli are blocked, and weak stimuli become overly significant. Today, this description is surprisingly accurate in describing the state of a person who interacts with a smartphone for hours, consuming an endless stream of messages, videos, and notifications.

• The neurophysiological aspect. Studies from the University of California (Christakis, 2018) have shown that teenagers who actively use social media have reduced activity in the prefrontal cortex, the area of the brain responsible for planning, critical thinking, and decision-making. This actually leads to the “switching off of the steering wheel” of human consciousness.
• Degradation of attention. Microsoft Canada (2015) found in its report that the average attention span of a modern person has decreased to 8 seconds (the same as in the myth of the 7-second memory of a goldfish).
• Cognitive exhaustion. In his books The Red Pill and The Plague of the 21st Century, Andriy Kurpatov notes that the constant switching of attention on a smartphone depletes the brain, leaving no resource for deep work and reflection.

Thus, we voluntarily put ourselves in a state that Pavlov called “paradoxical” in his research: the brain cannot distinguish between important and unimportant, and any information “trifle” can knock a person out of balance.

2. Gadgets as a perfect tool for manipulation

In the age of information wars, gadgets are becoming not just a means of communication, but a weapon. In Ukraine, this is especially true as we face information attacks every day.

• The phenomenon of “information injection”. A typical scenario: an emotionally charged message (“betrayal”, “corruption”, “the West has abandoned us”) is launched into the media space. It quickly spreads through dozens of channels, creating the illusion of a “public outcry”. The user’s brain, being in a paradoxical stage, does not analyse the source, but reacts emotionally.
• An example without an example. Since 2022, hundreds of cases of disinformation on social media about the hostilities have been actively recorded. Some of the “news” was spread 6-12 hours in advance, and later it turned out to be fake. But the emotional trace in people’s minds remained.
• Voluntary slavery. A person who constantly scrolls through the news feed is actually trapped: instead of freedom of choice, he or she is subject to social media algorithms and the goals of the “powers that be”.

3. Prefrontal cortex degradation: a threat to humanity

Scientific experiments (He and Raichle, 2009; Volkow, 2011) show that multitasking and constant digital stimuli reduce the efficiency of the prefrontal cortex. This is not just “brain fatigue” – it is an actual degradation of the ability to think freely.

• Ukrainian context. In times of war, critical thinking is a weapon no less important than artillery and drones. If society loses its ability to analyse and becomes a hostage to emotional injections, it will become an easy target for manipulation (if it is not already).
• In fact, the complete degradation of humanity. If the trend continues, we will get a generation of people who are unable to form their own values and decisions. They will react only to the strongest emotional stimuli, as described by Pavlov in the “ultra-paradoxical” stage.

4. Ukraine as a testing ground for digital influence

Today, Ukraine is one of the most “digitised” countries in the world (the “State in a Smartphone” programme). On the one hand, this offers unique opportunities: quick access to public services, online education, and transparency. On the other hand, it makes citizens extremely vulnerable to external and internal information attacks and excessive imposition by the state (free cheese is only in a mousetrap).

• Telegram reality. According to VoxCheck (2023), 40% of Ukrainians get their news mainly from Telegram. At the same time, a significant number of large channels
  are controlled by certain groups of influence that dictate how to think and what to do.

• Facebook/Insagram and TikTok. Algorithms push emotionally charged content to users, creating “information ghettos” or so-called “information bubbles”. This leads to the polarisation of society and conflicts , not only virtual ones. In simple terms, we lose our critical perception of the world and see only confirmation of one opinion, while alternatives are eliminated. For example, if you clicked on a video you liked, then after that the resources will show you everything related to this video, and alternative options will not be displayed in the feed.

• Of course, search engines and AI also contribute to degradation and the “information bubble” by providing ready-made answers to almost any question, although very often it is not even real knowledge, but interpretations on the topic.
  For example: when the same search term “apple” leads to different search results for links to websites if it is done from different devices of people interested in different things. And AI often provides inaccurate information, “combed” to suit your preferences, distorting the true meaning, or giving encouragement in the spirit of : “You said it very well, it will work, and here’s why…”, and then they give you an analysis of data that is generated, not reliably taken from sources, i.e. it is average.

5. Is there a way out?

To avoid the degradation of human consciousness, we need to act on several levels:

1. Education. Teaching children and adults about information hygiene, regulating the use of gadgets in educational institutions, and promoting a healthy lifestyle.
2. Digital detox. A systematic practice of living without gadgets, at least for a while, Development and implementation of attention and gadget management systems with a scientific basis.
3. Focus on deep work. Various techniques such as Deep Work, Pomodoro , etc.
4. State strategy. Ukraine should invest not only in cyber defence, but also in media literacy programmes for citizens.

Conclusion

Gadgets are both a great gift and the greatest danger of the 21st century. They can develop consciousness and destroy it at the same time. The fact that millions of people voluntarily put themselves into a state of paradoxical neurasthenia, becoming ideal targets for manipulation, is particularly dangerous. For Ukraine, this is a matter not only of psychological health but also of national security.

Key references (in Ukrainian):

• Pavlov I.P. “Lectures on the work of the large hemispheres of the brain” (1909).
• Christakis D. (2018). Rethinking screen time. JAMA Pediatrics.
• Small G., Vorgan G. (2008). iBrain: Surviving the Technological Alteration of the Modern Mind.
• Kurpatov A. (2019). The plague of the XXI century. How not to become an idiot.
• He B.J., Raichle M.E. (2009). The fMRI signal, slow cortical potential and consciousness.
• VoxCheck (2023). Monitoring Russian disinformation in Ukrainian Telegram channels.