Which technology will save us from technology? – The National

Which technology will save us from technology? – The National

Earlier this month, King Abdulaziz Centre for World Culture - Ithra published a global report on digital well-being. Based on a survey of 15,000 adults from across 30 nations, the Saudi-led initiative is one of the most extensive studies of its kind to date and aims to explore the state of our relationships to the internet, smartphones, social media and gaming. The survey findings add to a growing global concern about the impact of such everyday digital technologies on our physical, psychological and social well-being.

However, the Ithra report is far from a catalogue of doom, gloom and technophobia. Instead, it is a candid and constructive look at both the pros and cons of our current relationship with technology. For example, most respondents – 88 per cent – endorsed the idea that digital technologies were a force for global good. Even social media, which has come in for much criticism in recent years, was widely viewed (69 per cent) as improving quality of life.