Exploring some of the new challenges emerging with transformative technology including: - Understanding Human psychosocial and technology needs and preferences (PsychoTechnology). • New Mental Health Digital disorders including but not limited to Techno Stress. • Techno Values and Identities. Why we need to: - Reshape and rethink our conditioning with technology. Protect mental health, human interaction and values. • The importance of finding balance between the artificial and natural worlds. • Show a keener interest in Digital Human rights and Technology with AI governance and regulation.

1. "People have no idea how fast things are changing.”
Undisclosed Silicon Valley CEO
The new landscape of life and
work in the age of Covid19 &
Technology
Salema Veliu
Psychologies Magazine featured dossier expert
on Stress & Lifestyle in the digital age.
Core Advisory & Project Management Consultant
For Mental Wellness & Conversational Ai at LSVai.
Core Advisory Behavioural Science Consultant
For User Habits and Discoverability at Antwak.
Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers
(IEEE)
Association for Contextual Behavioural
Science (ACBS)
Coaching Alumni, University of Cambridge
salemaveliu©2020

2. Disrupting the status quo:
The effect of Technology
on life and work in the age
of Covid19
• The new challenges from engaging with
transformative technology
• The way we communicate and interact in
every domain of our lives
• Our social intelligence and skills in how we
interact human to human.
• Technology +the impact on Well-being
• Will the rise of technology gradually change
our values and in the process change our own
feelings of self-worth?

3. A new level of stress emerging
Technostress
Remote workers are constantly navigating between
different forms of technology throughout the day.
The markers for constant technological stimulation:
Emails, video calls or turning to a streaming service
after work.
Other triggers leading to rising levels of ‘technostress”
: the pressure to be accessible 24/7 and those who feel
they need to be seen at work.
Groups affected:
- Those working in technology feeling overwhelmed.
- Creative personalities finding it disruptive.
- Older workers struggling with adapting quickly
enough.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

4. Has Technology got us under a
spell and are we becoming
machines junkies in the
process?

5. Reshaping and rethinking our
conditioning with technology
• Protect mental health,
human interaction and
values.
• Help us find balance
between the artificial and
natural world.
• To be able to look past the
novelty and convenience of
our devices to the bigger
implications for society and
our future.
• Show a keener interest in
Digital Human rights and
Technology with AI
governance and regulation.

6. Are we all now becoming part
of the ‘always–on’ culture?
- Younger workers, a seamless mix of personal and
professional life can make it hard to enjoy down
time — or get any in the first place.
According to one employment study carried out by
Tech Talk back in 2013 81% of workers check their
email outside work hours, and 55% say they look at
their inboxes past 11 o’clock at night (referred to as
the ‘always-on’ culture).
Possible Positives; they are more adaptable in
switching roles or companies over their working life.
Possible Negatives; poor communication and social
interaction.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

7. Age groups affected by new trends in work and life?
• Research shows that baby boomers and (Gen X: 40-54 years
old (the children of the baby boomers 1946-1964). Make
little to no attempt to avoid burning out mentally as well as
physically.
• Generation Y Millennials: Gen Y.Group 1: 25-29 years old
Gen Y.Group 2: 29-39 years old) and Gen Z (4-24) are more
preoccupied with preventing burnout and want practices of
prevention but are also more addicted to their devices.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC

8. How about the future gens?
• With the AI infuriation growing into every corner of our existence,
society personally and professionally. There is another group we
should be turning our attention to.
• That is the generation that will be the most affected by the
decisions we make NOW regarding regulation and development.
Gen Z: The newest generation to be named 4 - 24 years old.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY

9. So what can
we do to keep
our mental
health on
track?
• To be able understand the differences
between wellbeing and mental health?
WHY?
• Because they are related but should be
considered as 2 different concepts.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND

10. DEFINING WELL-
BEING AND
MENTAL HEALTH
the differences
(Non-Digital)
Mental Well-Being:
• Having a sense of self and the ability to be adaptable to live our lives as
closely as possible to the way we want to.
• Our sense of wellbeing is affected by how we feel about something;
life, work, relationships, passions. Frameworks in Positive Psychology
and ACT are known to help.
• To have positive relationships, promote healthy living and feel life
satisfaction.
• Mental Health:
• Persistent and specific markers for certain symptoms, such as
depression, anxiety, psychosis, eating disorders. That cause mental and
emotional distress and anxiety that stop us from living the life we want
• Chronic Stress over a prolonged period of time left untreated will
become a bio marker for other more serious conditions.

11. What is Digital
Well-Being ?
• Is often defined in terms of the capabilities
and skills that an individual requires to
successfully make use of digital
technologies.

12. Elements of Digital Well-
being?
• Some of the elements mentioned in the JISC
Elements of Digital digital well-being are:
• “The capacity to look after personal health,
safety, relationships and work-life balance in
digital settings”.
• To use digital tools to pursue personal goals
for health and fitness.
• To use digital tools to participate in social
and community activities.
• To act safely and responsibly in digital
environments.
• To manage digital workload, overload and
distraction.
• Act with concern for the human and natural
environment when using digital tools.
Awareness to your digital footprint.

13. How much are we currently
plugged into and expected to be
to technology?
• 2020: 20B connected devices & 1
Trillion Sensors 2030: 50B connected
devices & 100 Trillion Sensors 3
• With IoT set to create $6.2 Trillion of
New economic value by 2025 4
• A sensor is a device, module, machine, or subsystem
that sends information to other electronics,
frequently a computer processor. A sensor is always
used with other electronics.
• Source:3. McKinsey Global Institute.
4.Nedelkoska, I., and G. Quintini. (2018)
Automation, skills use, and training. OECD
Social,
• Employment, and Migration Working
Papers, No 202.

14. A new set of
technology
related disorders/
behaviors that we
are facing in the
Millennials’
Generation (18-
34yr olds)
Video Game addiction +
Depression
https://www.psychguides
.com/guides/video-game-
addiction-symptoms-
causes-and-effects/
Millennials’ Biggest
Problem: Obsessive
Comparison Disorder
https://relevantmagazine.
com/life/millennials-
biggest-problem-
obsessive-comparison-
disorder
Social Media and Suicide:
A Public Health
Perspective
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih
.gov/pmc/articles/PMC34
77910/

15. Are we all
becoming more
distracted ?
• FOMO (fear of missing out) a ‘technoference
syndrome’ both feeds, and is fed by, a speeding up
of life that is being driven by digital technology
(Digital distraction).
• Waiting and fearing not seeing an email or news
story (or not seeing it promptly enough) and
missing out (even briefly) on some bit of latest
information.
• Compels an increased tendency of checking of
digital devices in the process triggering low self-
esteem, addiction, obsession, anxiety, obsessive
comparison disorder.

16. Impact of distraction on focus + concentration at
work
As our tech habits deny our brains important downtime, our ability for deep-
thinking and maintained focus is reducing.
Skills in critical thinking and analysis have declined as our use of technology
has increased.
Many argue that a decrease in attention span is made up by our increased
ability to multi-task. However, Research from (MIT) and others proved that
multitasking doesn’t work – because the brain doesn’t work that way.

17. Dopamine functions both as a hormone and a neurotransmitter and plays
several important roles in the brain and body. It is a molecule that our body
produces naturally, and it’s the substance inspires creativity and inspiration as
well as motivation, attention, learning, and addiction but to name a few.
Dopamine is tied to your reward centre. Affecting interest in specific activities
or learning certain subjects, decreasing dopamine levels in your prefrontal
cortex. If this happens, then your brain will not feel the motivation to
remember the facts presented to you.
The human brain contains four major dopamine “pathways,” or connections
between different parts of the brain that act as highways for chemical
messages called neurotransmitters.
AFFECTS ON THE BRAIN

18. The hidden enemy
Algorithm:
Algorithms are decision-making bits of code.
They make decisions about us, and for us, all the time and they influence our choices, behaviours and interactions with others personally and professionally.
Chamath Palihapitiya, former Vice President of User Growth at Facebook. Expressed guilt over how “The short-term, dopamine-driven feedback loops they created are
destroying how society works.’
Highlighting that smartphones and the social media platforms they support are turning us into bona fide addicts.
Algorithms
to
leverage
our
dopamine-driven
reward
circuitry,
they
stack
our
brains
against
us.
Doing things like disabling your notifications for social media apps and keeping your display in black and white will reduce your phone’s ability to grab and hold your
attention.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

19. The impact of algorithms and tech on the brain
Functions of
dopamine on
creativity & attention
Dopamine allows you
to keep focused and
pay attention. It works
by responding to vision
(the optic nerves),
which causes you to
direct your attention
to any specific task or
activity.
This neurotransmitter
may be responsible for
what content stays in
your short-term
memory, a portion of
your prefrontal cortex
associated with
immediate attention.
Lack of dopamine is
characteristic in
disorders where there
is little to no
motivation.
Functions of
dopamine on
personality
One of the personality traits
that define us most is our level
of extraversion. Extraversion has
two main components: social
interaction and impulsivity. This
trait is highly dependent on
dopamine. Several studies show
that impulsive people activate
dopamine circuits quicker than
others.
RADIYYAH
HUSSEIN

20. Biomarkers that can reflect changes in behaviour due to
technology
• Increase in a foggy feeling in your mind
• The inability to concentrate and problems with
eyesight are just some of the symptoms you may
find yourself experiencing more of as your usage of
technology increases.
• Some of these symptoms may be attributed to
what Neuroscientist Manfred Spitzer has coined as
"Digital Dementia”.

21. Digital
Dementia – A
new
possibility?
• “Digital Dementia” is a term coined
by neuroscientist Manfred Spitzer to describe an
overuse of digital technology resulting in the
breakdown of cognitive abilities.
• More commonly seen in people who have suffered
a head injury or psychiatric illness affecting the
Hippocampus.
• Spitzer proposes that short-term memory
pathways will start to deteriorate from underuse if
we overuse technology.
• Read more here R. R. Gajewski, "Pitfalls of E-education: From
multimedia to digital dementia?," 2016 Federated Conference on
Computer Science and Information Systems (FedCSIS), Gdansk, 2016,
pp. 913-920.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA-NC

22. Digital damage to the
brain?
• Neuroimaging research has shown that
excessive screen time actually damages the
brain.
• With structural and functional changes
found in brain regions involving emotional
processes, impulse control, executive
attention, decision making and cognitive
control.
• According to research by University College
London, media-multitasking and rapidly
switching from task to task can weaken
your brain’s anterior cingulate cortex,
which is involved in high-level information
and emotion processing.

23. SCREENS in
bed another
habit that is
growing?
• 47% of adults miss out on sleep due to internet
usage.
• 95% of adults in a US study admitted to using some
type of screen in the hour leading up to bed*.
(*Artificial blue light emitting from screens
increase alertness and suppresses the hormone
melatonin by up to 22% which negatively impacts
sleep).
• 32% of adults who have binge-watched a series at
least once in the last month have missed out on
sleep as a result.

24. Other affects- Digital eye strain
• Have you noticed any changes in your sight?
• Blurred vision, dry or sore red eyes maybe even getting
more headaches? Then you could be affected by ”digital
eyestrain”.
• Caused by focusing on harsh/bright light from screens for
too long and not blinking frequently enough (can be worse
if you wear contact lenses).
• A TAKEAWAY Mini Exercise for “Focusing fatigue”.
• Look as far at a distant object (at least 10-20 feet away) for
10 seconds, then switch your gaze to something close
(under 6 inches away) for 10 seconds.
• Then switch between the near object 10 times, focusing
your gaze each time for 10-15 seconds. FF is one of the
causes of digital eyestrain. This exercise reduces the risk of
your eyes locking up after prolonged screen time.
This Photo by Unknown Author is licensed under CC BY-SA

25. WHY WE NEED TO
LOG OFF TO
PARTICIPATE IN
LIFE!
• On a daily basis what’s the average amount of hours
that UK adults spend on screens?
• What’s the % of people checking Facebook every 10
minutes?
• What % of UK children say that their parents spend too
much time on their mobile devices?
• How many hours do UK children spend a day on
screens?
• What’s the % of UK adults admitting they spend too
much time online?
• Who are more likely to create a smartphone addiction
men or women?

26. • Work out and discern what means of communication
you prefer - setting boundaries with yourself and
others.
• Don’t try and be on every platform at all times.
• Block out parts of day on your daily and weekly
schedule when you take no video or facetime calls
that includes family!
• Organise and review: Set up folders to better manage
the influx of emails personal and professional.
• As tempting as it is ditch the electronics during
breaks that includes music on devices. Instead go
outside and get some fresh air, natural light and
noise.

27. Tips to manage Digital dependency and
distraction at home + work?
So how you could implement your own Digital Detox daily
or at the weekends?
What’s your commitment?
How can you be accountable and supported in your commitment?
Boundaries?
Decide on one thing each person could do as a committed ACTION
that could help you be accountable.

28. Summary and
creating your
own digital
detox
intentions
Our current reality with technology.
To explore and clarify our understanding of
Mental Health + Well-Being from a non-digital
and digital perspective.
The mental health disorders that are arising out
of technology.
Actions to reduce your digital distraction +
dependency to improve your mental health and
Well-Being.

29. CONNECT WITH ME AND MY WORK
No part of this presentation maybe reproduced in any form, or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including
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from Salema Veliu.
salemaveliu©2020
• View my latest short paper on Academia on ‘The value of being
human-finding balance between the artificial and nature worlds in
the age of Covid19 and Technology.’
• Catch me on a panel discussion at the The International Symposium
on the IEEE Technology and Society (ISTAS 20) November 14th at 3pm
GMT.
• UTUBE podcast Psychology, Consciousness, AI and Wellbeing here.
• MY COLLABORATION WITH ANTWAK MICRO VIDEOS FOR MENTAL
HEALTH HACKS POST COVID19 AND FOR THE AGE OF TECHNOLOGY.
• BOOK INFORMATION HERE
• SPEAKING ENGAGEMENTS, WORKSHOPS, TRAININGS LinkedIn:
https://www.linkedin.com/in/salema-veliu-b909874a/