Busting the myths about Digital Wellness
The current trends in digital wellness are abundant in misinformed notions of digital wellbeing. Some of these are increasingly used in mainstream media as antidotes or solutions for a healthier digital experience. But, are these myths true or quick fixes, or real solutions? Let’s try and understand some of these myths.
Myth No 1- Digital detoxes have far-reaching benefits
“Popular media fuels this portrait, with testimonials from extreme users and highlights of their behavior. “Addicts” who changed their lives through digital detox confess that social media has killed them. The healthcare industry has capitalized on this digital detox trend, depicting extreme use as the norm. Scholars, too, debate ways to define and prevent addiction to digital media.”
-The Washington Post
The digital detox fad leaves room for many unanswered questions regarding the practice. There has been a consistent buzz about the benefits of digital detoxing. The bigger question then becomes, “is it really worth it in the long term?”. Are the benefits of unplugging from the virtual world far greater than being immersed in it? Can there be an absolute solution to this nuanced problem? The simple answer is, not exactly. Or at least that is what the science says. In a 2021 study conducted on digital detoxing, it was found that in some cases digital detoxes led to positive intervention effects, while in others there were no and even negative effects on well-being. (Radtke et al., Mobile Media and Communication 2022)
Studies show that digital detoxes help adjust the attention span and reduce stress in the short term, but in the long term, they have little to no effect on your well-being. examples In the short term, digital detox does have some positive effects, but it quite often is a temporary state and most people fall back into the same patterns and reach their baseline. That is why it is essential to maintain a balance in how one uses technology because even online has certain benefits: it can help us connect better with friends and family, could be a gateway to knowledge, or simply a space to express creativity. In the end, it is the way that you use technology that matters & balance is key.
Myth No 2- Digital wellness is only about controlling screen time
This myth assumes there is a better or right way to spend time and attention. It is important to note that digital health and wellness cannot be reduced to one variable like screen time. Screen time can be connecting, educational, and horizon-expanding but also sometimes harmful. Emerging research shows that the context in which the screen is used can affect mental health outcomes differently. Researchers have finally found a U-shaped association between screen time and depression, where very high and low internet use was detrimental to depression scores, whereas regular amounts of use appeared to have no problematic effects (LeBlanc et al., American College of Sports Medicine 2017). Thus, not all screen time is the same. For example Screen time while attending online courses and other educational content is different than the screen time spent scrolling endlessly on Instagram. But at the same time, social media can be used as a "release valve" for youth which could allow them to manage the pressures and limitations in their lives. The American Academy of Pediatrics released a consensus statement stating that social media can be used to enhance social support and connection, community participation, and civic engagement (American Academy of Pediatrics 2016)
Myth No 3- The majority of us are ‘addicted’ to social media and we (end users) are powerless to resist it
“Researchers who study habits and social media users have found that excessive social media use can be a powerful habit. But that doesn’t make it an addiction.”
- The Washington Post
Addiction is understood to be a treatable chronic medical disease that causes a person to use a substance compulsively and even continue despite the harmful consequences. Habits, on the other hand, are behaviors that get harder to give up the longer that a person continues to perform them. Addictions are more potent than habits, and perhaps that is why they are treated as a much more serious problem. Hence, it can be harmful to call excessive and repeated use of technology an “addiction”. When we try to quit a habit and cannot do so, it is easy to label the habit as an addiction. Though tempting, these narratives disempower users. Similarly, harmful effects such as the “distractions” caused by technology should not be put under the addiction label. The concept of addiction does not capture the full range of pleasures, risks, and uses that people create with technology.
We know that, even though tough, it is possible to make a few lifestyle changes and break habits. It is empowering to realize that one can not be "addicted" to technology. Researchers have found that excessive digital media use can be a strong habit, but that does not make it an addiction (Anderson, Consumer Psychology Review 2020). It is essential to create reasonable and balanced measures to deal with technology to maximize the benefits and limit the harmful effects to the minimum. As end users, we can take back control of the digital world by accessing our digital wellness toolkit by reducing notifications, scheduling time for tech use, being intentional about tech, maintaining healthy boundaries with technologies, productivity apps & other digital wellness steps, etc.
Myth No 4- Digital wellness requires being anti-tech & throwing away our tech to go on a Digital Detox
Like all sustainably good things in life, digital wellness is best attained through the practice of balance. We must acknowledge the benefits that technology provides us with. Unlike in the pre-internet era, we now can gain knowledge and stay connected globally in a matter of seconds. Life has surely become easier and some might even say better. But like all good things in life, it is easy to overindulge in the dopamine-kicking, pleasure-inducing wonder space that is digital media. It is better to acknowledge the power that digital tech has provided us and also to realize that we now live in a digital world. To completely abandon the use of digital technology could be more stressful than useful. Understanding the points mentioned above and building a balanced digital lifestyle for oneself can improve one's digital wellness journey by a considerable amount. Scheduling social media time, prioritizing the consumption of positive content, and keeping digital media away during bedtime are some small ways in which it can be easy to balance out the negatives of digital media (Patterson, Great Phoenix Chamber 2021)
Thus, Digital Wellness is about being ‘healthy-tech’ rather than ‘anti-tech’.
Conclusion
There are good and bad aspects to most things and the same is true for technology use & digital wellness. The myths propagated usually promise a quick fix to issues that require a balanced and nuanced approach. It is important to not disregard the benefits that technology and digital media, in general, can give us just because it is easy to misuse the technology. It is also unrealistic to expect someone to quit digital use completely when most of the world is moving online. Making slight lifestyle changes and being able to look past trends that promote extreme use cases is necessary to inculcate a balanced & more positive digital lifestyle. Now that even the internet has become a fundamental right, treating it like a necessary and daily part of life is better than treating it like recreational drugs. Compare technology to food, which makes consumption possible in a balanced and healthy way. Instead of cigarettes, with only the adverse effects of a drug.
-Chaitanya Nair & Rijul Arora
