A media ecology perspective on psychedelics

Abstract

Psychedelic drugs present an intriguing variation on the widely circulated maxim that the medium is the message. Psychedelics are commonly defined as non-specific agents without intrinsic effects, and their effects are described as crucially dependent on internal and external contexts (commonly referred to as set and setting). Psychedelics can therefore be understood as a medium defined by its exceptional pliability and amenability to contextual cues. It thus follows that the effects of psychedelics as a medium are crucially embedded and shaped by their surrounding media. This article observes the intriguing implications and surprising benefits that emerge when examining psychedelics and media ecology in conjunction. It points to ways in which media ecology may enrich our understanding of psychedelics and their effects and to ways in which psychedelics may serve to enhance media ecological literacy and provide a new experimental space for explorations in media ecology.