CALL FOR PAPERS The Digital Mindfulness conference has been created to inspire meaningful discussion and action on themes linking technology and practical wisdom We live in a hyper-connected digital world where access to information is available at the click of a button and available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We live in a digital utopia. We have never had a greater opportunity to access the information we want, never more opportunities to educate ourselves, never more ways to keep in contact with friends and never have we had a greater opportunity to work on our own terms. In spite of these opportunities, we, as a society, find ourselves increasingly unable to cope with our digital devices and services. Digital distraction is rife, FOMO (Fear of Missing Out), Internet addiction, cyber bullying, information overload, and technology-related anxiety permeate our existence as we attempt to reconcile the benefits of digital technologies and living a healthy, happy and productive life. Digital technologies that were created to make us smarter and more efficient often end up distracting us and affecting our well being. The Digital Mindfulness Conference has been created to inspire meaningful discussion and action on themes linking technology and practical wisdom. It takes place between 18-19 March 2015 online and at the London Southbank University. Recent advances and emergent trends in digital technologies have raised many vital and interesting questions and dilemmas for institutions and people in general such as: ·Are digital technologies beneficial or problematic for individual, societal or organisational well-being? ·Why do people report feeling more disconnected in an age of technological connectivity? ·How can people and organisations reduce technology-induced stress and find ways to enable the mindful use of digital technologies? ·How can organisations, governments, and societies manage the use of technologies wisely? The Digital Mindfulness Conference is a space for people to learn and engage with the increasingly important and trans-disciplinary understanding of both the role of wisdom in a technology-driven world, and the design and impact of technologies in a wisdom-starved world. Practical wisdom, which draws from a range of sources, is concerned with responding to modern challenges creatively, wisely, mindfully, and proactively. It is attracting interest from a wide range of academic fields and disciplines, such as management, leadership, psychology, sociology, biology, neuroscience, marketing, and medicine. Practical wisdom is intimately connected to the myriad needs of contemporary organisations and numerous experts have called for society to progress from its current focus on data, information, and knowledge to understanding, intelligence and ultimately to wisdom. Scholars and industry professionals are exploring the potential impact of many other attributes of practical wisdom with digital technology such as intelligence, empathy, mindfulness, authenticity, leadership, creativity, problem-solving pragmatics, ethics, and awareness. Examples of this include research on the isolating effects and stresses associated with technology use, mindfulness meditation practices increasingly used by technology companies, or Internet-based efforts to tap the wisdom of the crowd (crowd-sourcing). Call for Papers Those people who are keen on presenting a paper at the conference are requested to submit their abstract of 300 words in length to info [at] semanticaresearch [dot] com by February 25 2015. If the abstract is accepted, submission of the original paper is expected. Participants who have not submitted their papers by the deadline will not be permitted to give a presentation. All abstracts will be evaluated by an academic committee. Selected papers will be published in our book of thematic compilation on Digital Mindfulness with the consent of the authors. Possible topics for discussion include the following: * How can technologies be designed, built, implemented and used for discovery, creativity, sharing, and encouragement of wisdom in individuals, organisations, and societies? * Can technologies enable deeper dialogues between and among individuals and groups? * What are the practical implications of wisdom theories and perspectives in a technological context? * How do Western and Eastern wisdom traditions, theologies, and spiritual approaches impact our relationship with and use of digital technologies? * Can mindful living connected by digital technologies be employed for personal, professional, and societal well-being? * Can we critically understand technology-induced stresses, work-life balance and technology addiction? * Do technologies have a role to play in mediating practical wisdom, reducing technology-induced stresses, and improving mindfulness? * How can technology facilitate more responsive and effective leadership? * How can we critically understand new phenomena emerging in a technology-driven world such as; Internet addiction, technological biases, FOMO, self-esteem and social media, crowd sourcing, excessive gaming, mobile phone obsession, cyber-crimes, cyber-cultures. Join industry and academic professionals at the Digital Mindfulness Conference designed to empower and inspire you with high-level insights, tactics and techniques from business leaders, health and wellness practitioners, scholars, journalists and more. Dr. Lawrence Ampofo Professor International Relations Degree Blanquerna School for Communication & International Relations Ramon Llull University Carrer Valldonzella 23 08001 Barcelona Tel: + 34.722 704 851 E-mail: lawrencepetera@blanquerna.url.edu