Dwe m1 digital wellbeing - introduction

This programme has been funded with
support from the European Commission
digital education that
promotes the digital
wellbeing of students
This publication has been produced with the support of the Erasmus+ Programme of the
European Union. The contents of this publication are the sole responsibility of the authors and
can in no way be taken to reflect the views of the National Agency and/or the European
Commission. 2018-1-UK01-KA203-48214.

Module 1
Digital Wellbeing: Introduction

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This programme has been funded with support from the
European Commission. The author is solely responsible for
this publication (communication) and the Commission
accepts no responsibility for any use that may be made of
the information contained therein.
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UNDERSTAND
Digital behaviour and how unintended digital
behaviour deteriorates your wellbeing
LEARN ABOUT
Digital wellbeing – what it is and why it is important?
MEASURE & ASSESS
The balance of digital activity and real-world activity –
balancing digital with real-world interactions appropriately
Digital Wellbeing:
Introduction
BUILD
Indistractable relationships that are happy
and distraction free
ENGAGE
With digital technology, data and apps with
positive health and wellbeing benefits

www.digital-wellbeing.eu Integrated digital education skills for educators
MODULE 1
Digital
Wellbeing:
Introduction
When it comes to digital wellbeing, excessive or
problematic use of social media can cause anxiety,
depression, stress, loneliness, hostility distraction,
procrastination, obesity, diabetes, sleep disorders and
poor dietary habits. It is also true that social media can
offer important psychological benefits such as
facilitating emotional support, community building and
self-expression.
In this module, we look at digital wellbeing when using
social media, digital overuse, technological and
psychological issues, digital responsibility, balancing
digital activity with real world activity. You will also
learn about the top digital wellbeing apps.

Module 1
Digital Wellbeing:
Introduction
Learning Outcomes
• You will learn how to look after your personal
health, safety, relationships and work-life balance
in a digital setting
• You will know how to be digitally responsible in a
way that doesn’t harm others
• You will understand the impacts of social media on
your psychological wellbeing and what you can do
• You will learn how digital technology impacts your
physical health
• You will become aware of how digital knowledge is
a poor substitute for learning in the real world

•Digital wellbeing is often defined in terms of the capabilities and skills that an
individual requires to successfully make use of digital technologies. “The
capacity to look after personal health, safety, relationships and work-life balance
in digital settings” (Jisc (2015) Framework)
Learn About: DIGITAL WELLBEING

Integrated digital education skills for educators www.digital-wellbeing.eu
THE CAPABILITIES IN DIGITAL WELLBEING
(Jisc (2015) Framework)
• use digital tools to pursue personal goals for health
and fitness
• use digital tools to participate in social and community
activities
• act safely and responsibly in digital environments
• negotiate and resolve conflict
• manage digital workload, overload and distraction
• act with concern for the human and natural
environment when using digital tools
https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/digital-wellbeing/0/steps/47772

DIGITAL WELLBEING IS IMPORTANT
The Impact of Digital Technology
• Cognitive abilities can be challenged. The ability
to think analytically, remember information and
focus for long periods of time may be impaired.
You may struggle with mental resilience and be
less creative
• Lose control of your life through digital addiction
When you use technology, a pleasure chemical
called dopamine gets released in the brain
• Impacts mental health, increasing stress, anxiety
and depression as digital lives expand. Less face-
to-face interaction, increased inactivity, poor in-
person communication skills and an overall
distrust among peoplehttps://www.verywellfamily.com/how-will-future-well-being-be-impacted-by-technology-
4176165

DIGITAL WELLBEING IS IMPORTANT
The Impact of Digital Technology
• Threats to privacy and security are increasing.
Greater risks of personal information being stolen
• Affects and interrupts our personal lives, our
habits, personal relationships. Technology
focuses on us to be hyperconnected. We are
distracted, disconnected and it can cause our
nervous system to lose balance by action-
reparation causing negative effect on our sleep,
memory and general health
• Affects our physical health by becoming deficient
in social skills, sense of isolation, becoming
inactive and lazy by sitting too much, becoming
depressed, it impacts our eyesight, neck, joints
etc.
https://www.verywellfamily.com/how-will-future-well-being-be-impacted-by-technology-
4176165

You might recognize some of the below digital behaviours that can
deteriorate your wellbeing:
• Internet addiction – shopping online, playing video games, checking Facebook,
blogs, videos, social media
• Time wasting - spending too much time scrolling, spending less time living in
the real world and enjoying interacting with people, exercising etc.
• Compulsive checking and compelled to social media, becoming addicted and
spending most of your time online
• Acting like automatons – acting like we have to respond immediately
• Phantom pocket vibrations – perceiving non-existent notifications from
smartphones
• Google effect – in the always connected world, people are less likely to recall
information if they think they can look it up
• Online relationships – people who spend most time connected, chatting with
others tend to have the best relationships offline
UNINTENDED DIGITAL BEHAVIOUR
DETERIORATES YOUR WELLBEING

•
Understand: DIGITAL BEHAVIOUR
Digital behaviour and how unintended digital behaviour or digital overuse
deteriorates your wellbeing

What does it mean to be
digitally responsible?
We believe that it's our
responsibility to use
technology in a way that
doesn't harm others and to be
aware of the impact that
technology has on our health,
environment, and society at
large.
DIGITAL RESPONSIBILITY
Technology can have a large impact on
users' mental and physical health. Being
overly connected can cause
psychological issues such as distraction,
narcissism, expectation of instant
gratification, and even depression.
Beside affecting users' mental health,
use of technology can also have negative
repercussions on physical health causing
vision problems, hearing loss, and neck
strain. Fortunately, there are steps that
can be taken to help alleviate these
health issues.

TECHNOLOGY & PSYCHOLOGICAL ISSUES
Those who best capitalize on new technologies will be able to effectively find and sift through
large amounts of information as quickly as possible. On the flip side, technology may make us
impatient, subject to frequent distraction, and desperate for constant entertainment.
Professor Larry Rosen summarises iDisorder “An iDisorder is where you exhibit signs and
symptoms of a psychiatric disorder such as OCD, narcissism, addiction or even ADHD, which are
manifested through your use—or overuse—of technology.” An obsessive need to check for text
messages, a desperate desire to constantly update your Facebook status, or a near-addiction to
iPhone games are all manifestations of iDisorder.
Technology & Psychological Issues

Technology and Expectation of Instant Gratification
As our technology moves faster, our patience grows thinner. A huge study from UMass Amherst,
which surveyed 6.7 million users, showed that viewers tend to abandon online videos if they
take more than 2 seconds to load. Most users stay on a single web page long enough to read
only 20% of the text on that page. Swap to reading a book rather than what is on screen, you
will have better commitment. Studies prove printed words are better able to recall especially in
specific detail, recognise the plot than reading on screen.
On an emotional level, posting a Facebook status, a tweet, or an Instagram photo feeds on and
reinforces our need for instant approving feedback. Becoming too used to instant gratification in
the virtual world can lead to poor choices and major frustrations in the real world.
Digital Technology affects on wellbeing

Technology and Narcissism
A study investigated the relationship between two aspects of narcissism—grandiose
exhibitionism and entitlement/exploitativeness—and Facebook behaviour. Those who
scored high on a test for grandiose exhibitionism tended to use Facebook for self-
promoting activities, such as frequently updating statuses and posting photos. Those who
showed high levels of entitlement/exploitativeness were likely to exhibit anti-social
Facebook behaviours, such as reacting angrily to critical comments and posting in ways
that sought support without supporting their friends in turn. If you find yourself
constantly changing your profile picture and getting upset when fewer than 50 people
like your status, it may be time to take a long hard look in the mirror and reconsider your
behaviour.

Technology and Cognitive Losses
A study of Chinese youths with Internet Addiction Disorder (IAD) showed that internet-
addicted adolescents tended to have reduced grey matter and white matter in key areas
of the brain associated with “cognitive control” and “goal-directed behaviour.” The
damage varied according to the duration of the subjects’ internet addiction, which may
indicate that the negative effects of the disorder are progressive.

 How does social media impact self-
esteem?
 How does social media impact
happiness?
 How does social media affect
loneliness and companionship?
 How does social media impact
empathy?
TECHNOLOGY AFFECTS YOUR
EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
The impact of social media on emotional health

 Supportive online interaction on social media can increase self-
esteem, with the inverse also being true.
 People with higher self-esteem post more about their work,
family and education.
 People with lower self-esteem are more concerned about what
other people post about them, and continuously monitor their
feeds and delete unwanted posts.
While this might seem like an obvious conclusion, it gives us the
evidence to work towards more positive interactions online; and
this might begin with a self-assessment.
HOW SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACTS SELF-ESTEEM

HOW SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACTS SELF-ESTEEM
• "The types of actions users take and the kinds of information
they are adding to their Facebook walls and profiles are a
reflection of their identities…You are your Facebook, basically,
and despite all its socialness, Facebook is a deeply personal
medium.”
• What you can do: Your social media gives you the ability to
control who and how you interact with others. Finding,
friending, and interacting with those who support you has the
potential to aid your self-esteem.
• Further, to aid your feelings of self-worth, post as those with
confidence do, and focus on positives ability to curate the
environment of your like your achievements and your loved
ones.
• According to S. Shyam Sundar of the Media Effects Research Laboratory

 More time on social media is correlated
with lower life satisfaction
 Social media interaction produces
dopamine
 Using social media to connect in the
real world is positive
 Overall, online networking is negative
for individuals
HOW DOES SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACT
HAPPINESS

HOW DOES SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACT HAPPINESS
• According to the study, an hour of chatting on social
media reduces the satisfaction with life overall by 14%.
This is an even larger negative effect on wellbeing than
both coming from a single-parent household, and playing
truant.
• The American Marketing Association, say that social
media likes are the same as getting a ‘hug’.
• Dopamine, the reward hormone, is what can get us
addicted to things or activities. Susan Weinschenk, a
behavioural psychologist, presents us with the dopamine
loop we get from social media which is activated by
anticipating a reward and causes us to seek further
anticipation.

HOW DOES SOCIAL MEDIA AFFECT
LONELINESS AND COMPANIONSHIP?
 Young adults report highest levels of
perceived loneliness
 Higher social media use correlates with
higher levels of perceived loneliness
 Older people are less depressed and
lonely when they’re active on social
media

• A study from the American Journal of Preventative
Medicine, the more time young adults spend on social
media, the more likely they are to perceive themselves
as socially isolated. Survey, Relationships Australia in
2011, found that it’s predominantly young people that
are feeling lonely.
• This might be further compounded by self-esteem
issues, those with low self-esteem are more likely to
post negative messages, which makes them less
likable. In turn, this could lead to people interacting
with them less, and lead to a poorer self-image, and so
on and so forth.
HOW DOES SOCIAL MEDIA AFFECT LONELINESS
AND COMPANIONSHIP?

 People are influenced by the positivity and
negativity in Facebook posts
• Facebook manipulated the amount of positive
and negative posts in users’ feeds to see if it
would affect their later posts. They ‘succeeded’,
and found that seeing more negative posts was
likely to influence the emotional charge of your
next post.
HOW DOES SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACT EMPATHY?

• This phenomenon is called emotional
contagion, defined as:
• “Emotional states can be transferred to others via
emotional contagion, leading people to experience
the same emotions without their awareness.
Emotional contagion is well established in
laboratory experiments, with people transferring
positive and negative emotions to others.”
• What you can do: Analyse your social media
environment and adapt it to suit you. Being mindful
and aware is the first step to taking control of how
your online interactions affect you emotionally.
HOW DOES SOCIAL MEDIA IMPACT EMPATHY?

• This is one of the most common concerns
associated with the evolution of technology: Do
digital devices really cause eye strain? According to
The Vision Council, the short answer is “yes”. They
write, "Many individuals suffer from physical eye
discomfort after screen use for longer than two
hours at a time." Have you ever looked at your
phone in the middle of the night, only to be
partially blinded by the brightness? Our eyes did
not develop to read tiny text on tiny screens with
bright lights.
SCREENS ARE IMPACTING OUR EYESIGHT

• For one, our access to entertainment has only
become easier and more immediate. We are
spending the time we would normally spend
outdoors or with friends online. A great number of
us may choose the walk, while some will choose
Netflix. Is that really the technology's fault?
• Counting our steps via tech tools has become
trendy. While physical health is likely still not as
important to as many of us as it should be, smart
tech has made fitness a lot more fun for some.
TECHNOLOGY AND OUR PHYSICAL HEALTH
Technology effects our health, the good, the bad and the ugly

• A mobile application called Achievemint was
designed to connect to other health and fitness
related apps you might have on your phone. You
earn points for any bit of activity you do. Once
your reach 10,000 points you earn $10!
• Charity Miles. With this app, any time you log
miles for walking, running, or cycling, money will
be donated to your charity of choice. This
technology positively impacts not only our
health, but also our passions for meaningful
causes.
TECHNOLOGY AND OUR PHYSICAL HEALTH
Technology effects our health, the good, the bad and the ugly

 Limit your social media usage. Take breaks, both
large and small. A tech break can be as small as
stepping away from your desk to take a short walk
across the room or as large as declaring a
technology blackout for an entire day each week.
 Use your online interactions to facilitate real-world
meetings and relationships. Also give your work or
entertainment space an ergonomic makeover. Why
not devote some time to improving the places
where you spend so much of your day? A better-
placed desk chair or better lighting can make a huge
impact on your physical and emotional wellbeing.
LESSONS TO TAKE AWAY

 Turn off the lights—all of them. To avoid
disrupting your sleep rhythms, turn off all
your screens an hour or two before you go to
bed and give your eyes a rest.
 Post positively & examine your motivations.
Try cutting down on the number of posts or
status updates you make each day. Ask
yourself whether you are posting for
narcissistic reasons or with true connection as
a goal.
LESSONS TO TAKE AWAY

Get Ready to Improve your Digital Wellbeing!
Measure & Assess:
BALANCE YOUR DIGITAL ACTIVITY AND REAL-WORLD ACTIVITY

• Embodied cognition and nature deficiency. There
is decreased contact and experiences with nature
and the outdoors. We build conceptual knowledge
of real world from our sensory experiences. If you
do not go out and get your hands dirty, get snow in
your shoes, or see the bright light then your
knowledge of these phenomena becomes less
integrated into your thought processes.
DIGITAL KNOWLEDGE IS A POOR SUBSTITUTE
FOR LEARNING IN THE REAL WORLD

• Translating from 2D to 3D. Perceptual experience
changes because seeing the activity on screen, for
example, does not allow for a deep experience
and often distorts proportions. This presents a
challenge when transferring the skills learnt on
screen to the physical world. When perception of
the physical world is different than perception of
the digital world, it becomes a big leap to
translate the information from the 2D digital
world to the 3D real world. One problem is that
the virtual 2D bricks do not fit together in the
same way as 3D bricks.

• Mediated learning poorer. Mediated learning is not
as effective as learning by practical
experience because it assumes that the learner will
fill in the gaps themselves—the gaps that are missing
in the sensory learning process—and that this type of
knowledge is transferable to the real world. When
learners put the bricks together on a screen they have
to imagine how it physically feels when two bricks fit
together correctly.
Knowledge Is A Poor Substitute For Learning In The Real World

• The balance between 2D and 3D. To
have the richest learning experience
possible, such mediated learning by
watching YouTube videos or playing
virtual games can only stand alone
once we have experienced the
activities ourselves in the real world.
Knowledge Is A Poor Substitute For Learning In The Real World

Get Ready to
Improve your
Digital Wellbeing!
Get Control Over
Your Digital Wellbeing
Increasing your digital wellbeing
is simple, there are tons of skills
you can build. It isn’t easy but
the following sections will help
you figure out the parts that are
most important to you, what
you can do, when and even how
you can use digital technology
and Apps to help you

•
Engage: DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY & APPS
WITH WELLBEING BENEFITS

8 of the Best Wellness Apps
Get Ready to Feel Good!
Headspace
Meditation and mindfulness is made simple with Headspace, the app
that counts Gwyneth Paltrow and Emma Watson as fans. Literally giving
users a workout for the brain - led by former Buddhist monk Andy
Puddicombe - the premise is to take ten minutes a day to listen in and
clear your mind. So what are the benefits? Users report better attention
spans, alertness and instant calm.
Smoke Free
Looking to give up? Download Smoke Free. This app is genius because
not only can you track cravings and progress, which will help deter you
from lighting up, it will tell you every single penny you've saved by
packing it in and the hours of life you've saved too. If that's not
motivational, I don't know what is.

8fit
Loved by lifestyle bloggers and influencers, 8fit takes an all-
encompassing approach to health and fitness - allowing users to
personalise their workouts to their strengths and weaknesses, teamed
with healthy and delicious recipes that are easy to follow (and allow you
to plan ahead and shop for the week). Essentially an online personal
trainer that you can tailor to your own needs, no gym membership
necessary.
My Possible Self
If your mental health is a concern, My Possible Self may be the app for
you. Use the 'moments' function to monitor your feelings and recognise
any patterns or triggers in your behaviour, and the self-help 'modules' to
tackle issues such as stress, anxiety, loss or major life changes.

Deliciously Ella
A recipe book in your pocket, cult lifestyle blogger Deliciously Ella's
popular app brings her delicious plant-based recipes straight to your
phone, with nearly 300 nutritious dishes to choose from. Everything is
vegan friendly, gluten-free and refined sugar free, so it's ideal whether
you're looking for a healthy mid-week meal or considering extending
your Veganuary pledge.
Streaks
Streaks is a to-do list that helps you form good habits, and an essential
app to hold you accountable to all your goals. The app allows you to
track up to twelve tasks you want to complete each day and the goal is
to build a streak of consecutive days. Whether it is going for a run,
reading a chapter of a book or quitting smoking – Streaks can help you
keep track of these tasks.

Sleep Cycle Alarm
Clock
Are you wanting to get more sleep and stop the endless scrolling through
Instagram before bed? Sleep Cycle Alarm Clock is an intelligent alarm clock that
tracks your sleep patterns and wakes you up in light sleep, helping you to feel more
rested and energised.
Viber
Leading messaging app Viber, connects over 900 million users around the globe
and is a digital platform that provides users with access to supportive online
communities and groups. Online communities are a great way in which people can
hold themselves accountable and seek motivation from likeminded individuals.
Group chats can offer support for fitness, cooking and book recommendations.
Digital Wellbeing
See a complete picture of your digital habits and disconnect when you want to. Get
a daily view of your digital habits: how frequently you use different apps, how
many notifications you receive, how often you check your phone. Disconnect when
you want to: daily app timers let you set limits for how much you use apps. Wind
Down reminds you to switch off at night, setting a schedule to fade your screen to
Grayscale, while Do Not Disturb silences notifications for a good night’s sleep.

This publication reflects the views only of the authors, and the Education, Audiovisual and Culture Executive Agency and the
European Commission cannot be held responsible for any use which may be made of the information contained therein."
Exercises &
Activities

ACTIVITY 1 See other ways technology
affects our social well being
Social Issues Health Issues
Deficits in social skills Vision problems
Sense of isolation Hearing loss
Technology and
depression
Neck strain
Sitting too much

Looking at the positive and negative aspects of technology in your life
Keep a Weekly/Daily Journal
ACTIVITY: Do You Have a Positive or Negative
Relationship with Technology?

• Assess how much participants use their device.
• Get participants to install one of the apps or keep a diary of how
they use their phone.
• Create pairs and get them to count how many times their partner
checks their phone
• Case Study of overuse of phones?
• Ask: How do you think using your device affects your wellbeing
family, health, sleep, depression etc.?
ACTIVITY
Be Aware and Mindful of Your Wellbeing

• Get participants to all put phones in middle of table, how does
that make them feel. Who will be the first to reach for theirs?
• FOMO?
• Addiction?
• Ask: Why do you check your phone, why do you carry it, why did
you bring it here today? Is it on silent? Are you expecting a call?
ACTIVITY

Read: 20 Ways to Know Your Cell Phone is Harming Your Health
1. Tech neck
2. Weight gain
3. Shortened attention span
4. Changing the structure of your brain
5. Changing the way you think
6. Causing car crashes or near misses
7. Making you passive
8. Texting thumb
9. Robbing you of empathy
10. Getting hit by a car
ACTIVITY

Read: 20 Ways to Know Your Cell Phone is Harming Your Health
11. Anxiety
12. Smartphone blindness
13. Cell phone elbow
14. Spreading superbugs
15. Eyestrain
16. Occipital Neuralgia
17. Hearing damage
18. Distracted doctors
19. Increased risk of suicide
20. Addiction
ACTIVITY

Module 1
Digital Wellbeing:
Introduction
Learning Outcomes
• You now know the different impacts of digital
technology on your wellbeing and how it
interrupts your personal life, habits and
personal relationships
• You have learned what you can do to be
digitally responsible and the different
negative behaviours that come from being
digitally irresponsible
• Your knowledge has improved as you now
realise digital knowledge is a poor substitute
for learning in the real world
• You now know some of the best wellness
Apps that will make you feel digitally good!

Thank you! Any questions?
@wellbeingeducators
www.digital-wellbeing.eu
Linked In: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/12146555/

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