Description
Various definitions of digital wellbeing have emerged in recent years, most of which centre on the impacts - beneficial and detrimental - of digital technology on health and wellbeing (psychological, social, financial). For instance, JISC describe digital wellbeing as being concerned with the impact of technologies mental, physical and emotional health. Other definitions emphasize the attainment of balance, viewing digital wellbeing as a subjective individual experience of optimal balance between the benefits and drawbacks obtained from mobile connectivity. However, no discussion of digital wellbeing can neglect to focus on connectivity, that is, the extent to which residents and migrants to a particular nation or region have access to affordable digital technologies such as the internet. In exploring the health and wellbeing associated with digital technology this area of connectivity is often overlooked. The present project explored various dimensions of digital wellbeing, including connectivity, across 35 nations. Based on a broad conceptualization of digital wellbeing, A survey of tech use attitudes and behaviours was administered across 35 nations and 7 world regions, with 1000 participants within each territory (N= 35000). Along with attitudinal, behavioural and sociodemographic variables, the survey was coupled with nation-level legislative reviews and policy audits; these data were used to create a multinational (global) digital wellbeing index. Nations are ranked based on various dimensions of digital well-being, and predictive models are used to identify resilience and risk factors for problem technology use and technology-related health issues. In this analysis, we explore key findings from the global index highlighting disparities in digital wellbeing, especially in the domain of connectivity. Such disparities in connectivity are not entirely a factor of income, and we explore the factors contributing to low-income nations with relatively high scores on the digital wellbeing index. This work has the potential to inform public health policy and shape our responses to current disparities in connectivity and the health implications of lives increasingly lived online.
Keywords: technology, health, connectivity, digital wellbeing, disparity
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