What Digital Has Wrought

What Digital Has Wrought

What Digital Has Wrought

Some governments have been taking action against social media companies, TikTok and YouTube. The U.S. federal government still stands on the sidelines. Constantly surfacing studies reveal the psychological and sociological damages wrought by specific kinds of digital technologies, the effects of which have evolved through three phases so far. Phase One saw the rise of corporate giants in the digital enterprise, matched by steadily increasing user engagement. Phase Two saw an increase in studies revealing the negative impact of social media and screen time on the young, with ineffective actions taken by several governments.  Phase Three, which society is now entering, brings a realization that social media and screen activity are retarding personal and cognitive development of young users. We have organized the risks and damages emerging through all three phases into three categories: New Kinds of Risks; Marked Setbacks; and Personal Damages. Individuals have started to monitor their contact with their digital devices, a change in usage that could be more effective than the federal government’s action, even as Big Digital’s latest attention-grabber – artificial intelligence (AI) – represents another breakthrough technology that offers great rewards and another area of concern for the digitally trained individual.

Share this Insight

We look forward to helping you