CRYONICS SUSPENSION AND DIGITAL COMMUNICATION: REIMAGINING CONTINUITY AND CONSCIOUSNESS IN HUMANITY'S FUTURE

Abstract

This research examined cryonics suspension and digital communication: reimagining continuity and consciousness in humanity's future. Media Technological Determinism and Cybernetic Ontology theories formed the anchor for this research. This study adopted a phenomenological research methodology to explore how individuals conceptualize and experience the intersection of cryonics suspension and digital communication as pathways to posthumous continuity and consciousness. The target population consists of approximately 150 individuals globally, including cryonics practitioners, trans-humanist thinkers, digital legacy developers, neuroethicists and AI technologists, who are directly engaged with or have scholarly or professional insights into human identity preservation technologies. These individuals are drawn from institutions such as the Alcor Life Extension Foundation, KrioRus, academic research centres and digital innovation labs in countries like the United States, Russia, Germany, South Africa and Nigeria. A purposive sample of 20 participants were selected using expert sampling and data were collected through in-depth, semi-structured interviews conducted virtually via video conferencing platforms. The data were analysed using thematic analysis, following Moustakas’ phenomenological reduction steps, including horizonalization, clustering of themes, and synthesis of meanings to reveal core essences shared across participant narratives. The study found out that, while cryonics suspension techniques like vitrification can preserve the structural integrity of brain tissue, there is no current scientific evidence confirming the restoration of consciousness or cognitive function after suspension, leaving the promise of continuity through cryonics largely theoretical and technologically aspirational. The research concluded that, while cryonics shows potential for preserving the brain’s structural components, the lack of verifiable revival outcomes and unresolved scientific uncertainties about the restoration of consciousness highlight the need for further empirical research before it can be considered a reliable method of human continuity. The research recommended that, scientific research institutions such as the Alcor Life Extension Foundation, Cryonics Institute and global neuroscience laboratories invest in advanced, long-term studies on brain connectome preservation and revival to validate the functional outcomes of cryonics suspension.