Digital Wellbeing Aspect 2: Digital Technologies stands for a good understanding of digital landscapes and tools: principles and functions of social media platforms, online interactions, wearable and smart tech, AI, bots and robots and other technologies.
Notice how in everyday conversations, we tend to say, “oh, typical, technology!” implying some form of dysfunction which impacts our mood. When in actual fact, what we mean is: “I am not sure how to make this work, and I am stressed out!”.
It’s important to reclaim responsibility for our wellbeing instead of blaming technology. Yes, a lot of digital technologies may be designed to grab our attention or integrate smoothly into our lives. However, in most cases, we have a choice as to how, when and why we use it.
Understanding how things work and how they can be of help or of detriment to our health and wellbeing is critical for our digital wellbeing.
How can you learn more about digital technologies?
How can you practice making informed choices around the use of those technologies?
How can you pause and reflect: “Why am I using this technology now?”, “How does it serve me?” “What is its impact on my wellbeing?” “How can I make healthier choices around the use of this technology?”
What can also help sometimes is to think about other activities: “What else is there?” “What else can I do with this technology?” “If the use is compulsive, what else can I do instead or how can I pause for a few minutes here and there to restore and ground myself?”
If you found this helpful, you can find a handy Digital Wellbeing Assessment with more insights on our homepage or here.
