Digital Resilience

Building Digital Resilience by making digital wellbeing and security accessible to all refers to the comprehensive effort aimed at empowering individuals, particularly adults, with the knowledge, skills, and best practices necessary to navigate the digital world safely and securely.
In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the reliance on digital technologies has increased significantly, making it imperative for individuals to transact online without falling victim to cyber threats.
Digital wellbeing originates from the wellbeing concept, and it has to do with digital lives of individuals. The capacity of people to adapt, manage, and prosper in the digital world while successfully managing both their well-being and security is referred to as digital resilience, which is a mix of digital wellbeing and security.
The cornerstone of digital resilience is digital wellbeing, which emphasizes preserving a positive and sensible connection with technology. It entails limiting screen time, placing a high priority on mental and emotional health, creating supportive online communities, and learning digital literacy.
In the context of wellbeing, digital resilience helps people handle online difficulties like cyberbullying, online harassment, or exposure to dangerous content while preserving their general well-being.
Individuals may build a strong digital resilience that enables them to move through the digital world with assurance and responsibility by integrating digital wellbeing with digital security.
They are better able to manage the challenges of the digital world, adjust to changing dangers, make wise judgments, safeguard their personal information, and maintain their mental, emotional, and physical health while using the internet.
The use of cell phones, social media, and video games in excess or unhealthily can be detrimental to mental health. Anxiety, despair, loneliness, and poor self-esteem can all be exacerbated by excessive screen time, frequent comparisons to others on social media, or cyberbullying.
In this regard, digital wellbeing is the way to have control over our own life. It's crucial to have a healthy connection with technology to support good mental health and digital wellbeing. Setting limits for gadget use, engaging in digital detoxes, participating in offline activities, and giving selfcare and face-to-face interactions top priority may all be part of this.
Digital wellbeing has become an essential human need in the digital age, particularly in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic. Our reliance on digital platforms has grown as technology continues to invade every part of our everyday lives, from communication and education to employment and entertainment

What is Digital Wellbeing?

Digital wellbeing encompasses the impact of digital technology on our overall health, happiness, and productivity. It refers to managing the influence of digital devices and platforms on our mental and physical wellness. In relation to productivity, digital wellbeing involves optimizing our interaction with technology to minimize distractions and enhance our ability to focus and achieve our goals. Striking the right balance can lead to improved efficiency and reduced stress in our personal and professional lives.

The Origin of Digital Wellbeing

The concept of digital wellbeing gained prominence with the rise of digital technology and its pervasive influence on daily life. As smartphones, social media, and digital entertainment became integral parts of modern existence, concerns about their impact on mental health, sleep patterns, and overall happiness grew. Tech giants and health professionals began addressing these issues, leading to the development of digital wellbeing as a holistic approach to mitigate the potential negative effects of technology.

Who is Digital Wellbeing for?

Digital wellbeing is relevant to individuals of all ages and backgrounds who engage with digital devices and online platforms. It holds particular significance for students, professionals, parents, and anyone who spends a significant amount of time using digital technology. Furthermore, organizations and institutions are increasingly recognizing the importance of promoting digital wellbeing among their members to foster a healthier and more productive environment.

How can Digital Technology affect wellbeing?

Technology, and our interaction with it, impacts our wellbeing. It can affect how we feel, our thoughts, our behaviour and our physical and mental health. Social media and mobile devices may lead to psychological and physical issues, such as eye strain, difficulty focusing on important tasks, and even how well we sleep at night.
Digital wellbeing may also contribute to more serious health conditions, such as depression and anxiety. The overuse of technology can potentially have a more significant impact on developing children and teenagers, as it’s important for them to get a good night’s sleep while they are growing. On top of this, teenagers are more prone to low self-esteem and self-doubt, which can be affected by spending too much time on social media, comparing themselves to others, cyberbullying, and false information.
There are lots of ways that we can monitor our digital wellbeing and prioritise our physical and mental health while using technology. For example, if you’re experiencing eye strain when using any form of digital screen for longer periods of time, the American Optometric Association recommend using ‘the 20-20-20 rule’.
To use the rule, after every 20 minutes of screen time, you should take a 20-second break to look at something at least 20 feet away. Doing this can help reduce the strain on the eyes from staring at a screen for a continuous period.
We can always make choices which positively impact our digital wellbeing. Some good choices might include:
-    how much time we spend using digital technology
-    how we interact with others online
-    material we watch and engage with
-    how we portray ourselves online.
Negative online experiences can affect how we feel about ourselves, our relationships with others, our thoughts and opinions and our perspective of the world in which we live. It's important we use digital technology in a way which enhances our wellbeing, and being aware of the potential threats it poses.
See this useful video giving views about the advantages and disadvantages of digital technology in the context of digital wellbeing.