Digital Detox: the importance of digital fitness

What is digital wellbeing?

The constantly increasing digitalization significantly affects our work and life with direct consequences for our health, productivity and happiness at work. Digital wellbeing refers to the extent to which digitalization contributes to or detracts from our well-being. This digitalisation has brought many benefits: for many people, work has become more interesting and varied, organisations have achieved significant productivity gains, and society has become more prosperous as a result. Yet there are also downsides. Overuse of digital technology can lead to overload, burnout people, and is associated with mental health problems such as depression and anxiety disorders. It's important that we recognize that our brains function differently than our digital devices. To understand this, we take a trip to the field of neurology. The software of man in essence.

Neurology

The Default Mode Network (DMN) is one of the greatest discoveries of this century. It connects parts of the brain that are anatomically far apart and that become active together when we are not focused on the outside world. This network becomes active when we sleep, rest, or just mindlessly look out the window. It was discovered by chance by Marcus Raichle when he left his measuring equipment on when test subjects had a break. Despite the fact that the test subjects were apparently resting, their brain was unexpectedly active. This was counterintuitive because it was long assumed that the brain would be in some kind of passive or resting state when a person was not actively engaged in a task. However, Raichle's research proved that our brain is never really "off", but that itsimply switches modes and continue to work on a different set of functions that are essential for our psychological well-being. This important discovery makes it clear that a balance between online (stimuli) and offline recovery (stimulus processing) is crucial. 

On technology diet

Scrolling on a screen, with new information all the time also made to hold our attention, is addictive. It keeps our brain continuously active while we know now that it is important to let the brain rest as well. Technology will only become more attractive in the coming decades. If we want to remain autonomous and social beings, we must learn to deal consciously with technology. Just as we have to control our eating habits in order not to get too fat, we have to control our intake of digital impulses. At Conclusion, we know better than anyone that we have to let technology and AI work for us. This means that we must and want to be in control of the use of these and choose autonomously and consciously when we are online, and when we are not. So it's not about simply being online less, it's about a good balance and being qualitatively and consciously online. It's not about simply being online less, it's about a good balance and being qualitatively and consciously online.

Overcoming our limitations

If we take our limitations into account, technology can make life more and more pleasant. In the future, we will be able to delegate many more tasks to technology (driving, housework, monotonous work) and we will have more time for personal development, relaxation and each other. Then we just have to be able to avoid the pitfalls of our own brain and be aware of the dangers of technology. AI will soon be smarter than humans. Before that happens, we must at least learn to deal with our own limitations. Maybe we should start by limiting exposure to technology and focusing on things that really make us happy. Happiness is more likely to be found in our interactions with other people than in activities with a screen. Making an appointment in a digital calendar is convenient, but if you are then staring at your smartphone during the appointment, technology has won. Then we have become slaves instead of bosses.

Take offline breaks more often

Digital tools serve humanity in many areas, but to stay healthy, productive and happy, we need to give our brain the rest it deserves. So, take breaks without a phone, look out of the window more often, walk and enjoy the surroundings. We need this to reach our full potential, together with digital tools.

Pieces from this blog have previously appeared on Rijnvogelaar.nl and have been used with permission of the author.