“Much has been written about the increase in loneliness and isolation that has accompanied the internet. This is said to be caused by shallow online friendships which are no substitute for genuine relationships. Being exposed to the heavily curated lives of others on social media has also been found to create feelings of depression and anxiety in some people.
A recent academic study provides a more nuanced view, revealing that rather than leading to misery, the internet has made people happier. This is especially the case for the elderly and those with health problems who would otherwise have limited contact with a wider community. “
I’ve long argued that the studies showing people who use the internet were more likely to be depressed were not catching the whole picture. Clearly it’s not just internet usage, but how we are connecting with others online that is impacting our mental health. I like that this study shows us that there are people out there using the internet to connect to others and improve their lives.
Anything the government comes up with might protect workers from being required to work all the time, but the devil in the detail is how to allow workers to choose which hours they do work within that? It gets a bit messy, doesn’t it, and really isn’t that the issue with the government getting involved? It limits the possibilities by putting a defined “work” time, when what is really needed is the flexibility to figure out the best time, and location, that allows a worker to get what needs to be done, done, and still have a life that is outside of work. That’s going to look different for everyone, so there can’t be rules passed down from an outsider, there will need to be an understanding between workers, and management, on what works best for everyone, including when they will disconnect.
That does, of course, require some more effort and imagination. Are you up to it?
“Although some people share company news and social media posts on their own, most do not. LinkedIn did a recent study and concluded that only 2 perecent of employees post company messages and campaigns on social media. Which leaves a staggering number of employees who are not posting. Choir, a new social media tool, is…
I love technology, but the day I walk out to my car and it demands bitcoin ransom before it will even start, might be the day that living off the grid starts to sound like a plan. Not a plan for me necessarily, but a plan. Seriously though, this is why the whole IoT security…
“I don’t think Twitter can convince bloggers to pay for sharing data directly. But what if Twitter announces – and I’m telling you right now to expect this – that sharing counts are only available on the Twitter Analytics dashboard? In truth, the data available there is already pretty sweet, and if Twitter put sharing…
It’s a sad reality for many of us. Sure it’s a three-day weekend, but there’s almost no way we’ll actually simply take three days away from work. Despite all we know about how unhealthy and unproductive working all of these hours really is, the American workplace still places a value on it. I’ve linked to…
The answer, of course, is that we don’t really know yet. The law hasn’t caught up with technology, so it’s unclear just how much data that is being recorded by smart home technology can be shared by the companies that have the data, nor is it clear just how much data they are holding on…
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