[{"command":"openDialog","selector":"#drupal-modal","settings":null,"data":"\u003Cdiv id=\u0022republish_modal_form\u0022\u003E\u003Cform class=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form ecl-form\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 action=\u0022\/en\/article\/modal\/7432\u0022 method=\u0022post\u0022 id=\u0022modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 accept-charset=\u0022UTF-8\u0022\u003E\u003Cp\u003EHorizon articles can be republished for free under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) licence.\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EYou must give appropriate credit. We ask you to do this by:\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 1) Using the original journalist\u0027s byline\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 2) Linking back to our original story\u003Cbr \/\u003E\n 3) Using the following text in the footer: This article was originally published in \u003Ca href=\u0027#\u0027\u003EHorizon, the EU Research and Innovation magazine\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003ESee our full republication guidelines \u003Ca href=\u0027\/horizon-magazine\/republish-our-stories\u0027\u003Ehere\u003C\/a\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cp\u003EHTML for this article, including the attribution and page view counter, is below:\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cdiv class=\u0022js-form-item form-item js-form-type-textarea form-item-body-content js-form-item-body-content ecl-form-group ecl-form-group--text-area form-no-label ecl-u-mv-m\u0022\u003E\n \n\u003Cdiv\u003E\n \u003Ctextarea data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 aria-describedby=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 id=\u0022edit-body-content\u0022 name=\u0022body_content\u0022 rows=\u00225\u0022 cols=\u002260\u0022 class=\u0022form-textarea ecl-text-area\u0022\u003E\u003Ch2\u003ECovid-19 hastened the digital shift with consequences for the \u2018data divide\u2019, wellbeing \u003C\/h2\u003E\u003Cp\u003EIn the context of the epic, risky nature of living our lives digitally, one of the European Commission\u2019s six strategic priorities for 2019-2024 is to create a\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/info\/strategy\/priorities-2019-2024\/europe-fit-digital-age_en\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EEurope fit for the digital age\u003C\/a\u003E. The aim is that technology will\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/info\/strategy\/priorities-2019-2024\/europe-fit-digital-age\/shaping-europe-digital-future_en\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Ework for people\u003C\/a\u003E; the digital economy will be fair; and that it supports an open, democratic and sustainable society.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022selectionShareable\u0022\u003EThe Covid-19 pandemic has put rocket boosters under the transition to a digital society. One survey conducted in July 2020 found that\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.eurofound.europa.eu\/publications\/report\/2020\/living-working-and-covid-19\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Emore than 1 in 3 workers in the EU were working exclusively from home\u003C\/a\u003E. This means that they were relying almost exclusively on digital tools to socialise, work, and access any state services they needed. Now more and more researchers are asking themselves: does our reliance on digital tools leave us on the wisest path?\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022selectionShareable\u0022\u003EOne is Dr Matthew Dennis at the Technical University of Delft in the Netherlands. Dr Dennis is an ethicist interested in applying the philosophy of human flourishing to the digital age. Philosophers have long wondered what constitutes a \u2018good life\u2019, and from Aristotle to Confucius, they have supplied their own slightly different answers. One central idea is that happiness alone is important but not enough; there are people who are subjectively happy who might still not be living a great life.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022selectionShareable\u0022\u003E\u2018What the other important aspects of flourishing are depends on who you ask,\u2019 said Dr Dennis. \u2018It might be about fulfilling roles in society, or achievements and contributions to society. More modern ethicists like me are quite interested in the idea that pursuing passions is an important part of flourishing.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022selectionShareable\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EDigital wellbeing\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022selectionShareable\u0022\u003EDr Dennis has been part of a Delft\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.delftdesignforvalues.nl\/covid-19\/publications\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Eworking group looking at the ethics of innovation in the Covid-19 era\u003C\/a\u003E. Through the group, he carried out some work that explored how to manage our digital wellbeing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022selectionShareable\u0022\u003EThe idea that the time we spend online is bad for us is a controversial one. Dr Dennis points out that the latest research suggests time spent online can be bad for our mental health, but we really need to take into account what we\u2019re doing online \u2013 are we having a conversation with friends or mindlessly scrolling? They are very different things.\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/norden.diva-portal.org\/smash\/get\/diva2:1328300\/FULLTEXT01.pdf\u0022\u003EOne 2019 report\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;from the Happiness Research Institute in Copenhagen, Denmark, found that the most frequent users of social media \u2018tend to be less satisfied with their lives and make more negative social comparisons\u2019.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022selectionShareable\u0022\u003EDr Dennis\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov\/33679213\/\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Elooked at three frameworks for enhancing our digital wellbeing\u003C\/a\u003E\u0026nbsp;in pandemic conditions. First were rule-based frameworks, such as\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/www.humanetech.com\/digital-wellbeing-covid\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Ethat issued by US-based nonprofit, the Center for Humane Technology\u003C\/a\u003E. These suggest people take specific steps, such as limiting their time on devices and taking care to do exercise designed to promote mindfulness. Second, were character based strategies, which say we ought to cultivate character traits that will be useful in the online sphere, such as the ability to control where we give our attention. The third way is not so much something for individuals but for designers. It is to explicitly change the way that online spaces are designed so that they don\u2019t prompt us to make choices that are bad for our wellbeing.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022selectionShareable\u0022\u003ENone of these frameworks on their own can provide a perfect route to digital wellbeing, Dr Dennis concludes, but he says we\u2019re more likely to be able to overcome the challenges posed by a post-coronavirus world \u2013 where we may spend more time online \u2013 by combining the best bits of them all.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022selectionShareable\u0022\u003E\u003Cstrong\u003EData divide\u003C\/strong\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022selectionShareable\u0022\u003EAs we accelerate towards a digital society, the implications go beyond how we spend time online. Collection of people\u2019s data also has consequences for online autonomy, wellbeing, and other crucial aspects of life, including access to welfare.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022selectionShareable\u0022\u003EBeginning in 2015, Stefania Milan, an associate\u0026nbsp;professor\u0026nbsp;of new media and digital culture at the University of Amsterdam, the Netherlands, has been working on the\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/cordis.europa.eu\/project\/id\/639379\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003EDATACTIVE project\u003C\/a\u003E, which has been investigating how civil society engages with and responds to the collection of data on a massive scale.\u0026nbsp;One of her early projects involved creating a browser extension, now called\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/tracking.exposed\/\u0022\u003ETracking Exposed\u003C\/a\u003E, which aims to highlight the power of personalised algorithms by allowing a comparison between what different users see on certain websites, such as Facebook.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022selectionShareable\u0022\u003EThese tools allow researchers to get a sense of how the algorithms control what users see. The project is now expanding to cover Amazon, YouTube and Pornhub.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022selectionShareable\u0022\u003EMore recently, Prof. Milan has been thinking about what she calls the \u2018data divide\u2019. As she pointed out in\u0026nbsp;\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1177\/2056305120948233\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003Ea recent essay\u003C\/a\u003E, this divide has been exacerbated during the pandemic. There are two ways in which this plays out, she says.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022selectionShareable\u0022\u003EFirst, she points out that people\u2019s interaction with the world and with the state is mediated by data. If information about a person is not included on databases, for example, then that person can\u2019t interact with the state properly, accessing welfare assistance becomes an issue, for instance. This first digital divide applies at the level of individuals within nations. It is people such as undocumented migrants, poor people who don\u2019t have access to connected devices, or workers on the gig economy that are among those who fall on the wrong side.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022selectionShareable\u0022\u003E\u2018Data is a condition of visibility, almost a condition of existence,\u2019 she said.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022selectionShareable\u0022\u003E\u003Cblockquote class=\u0022tw-text-center tw-text-blue tw-font-bold tw-text-2xl lg:tw-w-1\/2 tw-border-2 tw-border-blue tw-p-12 tw-my-8 lg:tw-m-12 lg:tw--ml-16 tw-float-left\u0022\u003E\n \u003Cspan class=\u0022tw-text-5xl tw-rotate-180\u0022\u003E\u201c\u003C\/span\u003E\n \u003Cp class=\u0022tw-font-serif tw-italic\u0022\u003E\u2018Data is a condition of visibility, almost a condition of existence.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\n \u003Cfooter\u003E\n \u003Ccite class=\u0022tw-not-italic tw-font-normal tw-text-sm tw-text-black\u0022\u003EProf. Stefania Milan, University of Amsterdam\u003C\/cite\u003E\n \u003C\/footer\u003E\n\u003C\/blockquote\u003E\n\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022selectionShareable\u0022\u003EThis divide also operates at an international level, and this has become more deeply important during the Covid-19 era. The ways in which nations have responded to the pandemic have been dependent to a large extent on the quality of their data, says Prof. Milan. Their ability to carry out tests and compile the results, and their ability to track people who have tested positive and trace their close contacts.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022selectionShareable\u0022\u003EProf. Milan also has a prescription for how we might remedy this, as least when it comes to the national level. It\u2019s not complicated. She says we must first begin to invest heavily in making sure poorer people have access to devices so they are not excluded from interacting with the state. Second, and more importantly, we need to start investing in building up people\u2019s data literacy, she believes. This has to be done in schools, from an early age, she says. But we can\u2019t leave out adults, so there will have to be classes and even TV campaigns to help them become more data-literate, she suggests.\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022selectionShareable\u0022\u003E\u2018You learn how to swim because if you fall into a canal you need to swim to be able to survive,\u2019 said Prof. Milan. \u2018In the same way, we should also incorporate into school programs digital and data literacy.\u2019\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022selectionShareable\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EThis story is part of a\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/horizon-magazine.eu\/article\/european-science-next-generation.html\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003Eseries\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E\u0026nbsp;in which we hear from the next generation of scientists and researchers who are working to tackle global challenges.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003Cp class=\u0022selectionShareable\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EVarious sessions discussing the digital decade and how to leave no one behind will take place on 24 June as part of the European Commission\u2019s\u0026nbsp;\u003C\/em\u003E\u003Ca href=\u0022https:\/\/ec.europa.eu\/research-and-innovation\/en\/events\/upcoming-events\/research-innovation-days\u0022 target=\u0022_blank\u0022 rel=\u0022noopener noreferrer\u0022\u003E\u003Cem\u003EResearch and Innovation Days conference\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/a\u003E\u003Cem\u003E.\u0026nbsp;If you liked this article, please consider sharing it on social media.\u003C\/em\u003E\u003C\/p\u003E\u003C\/textarea\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E\n\n \u003Cdiv id=\u0022edit-body-content--description\u0022 class=\u0022ecl-help-block description\u0022\u003E\n Please copy the above code and embed it onto your website to republish.\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n \u003C\/div\u003E\n\u003Cinput autocomplete=\u0022off\u0022 data-drupal-selector=\u0022form-co2s-u4o9vqidt8um1glgqw-5p-yitcpiytr1-ixo-k\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_build_id\u0022 value=\u0022form-co2S-u4o9vQiDT8uM1gLgqW-5p_yItcPiytR1_IxO-k\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003Cinput data-drupal-selector=\u0022edit-modal-form-example-modal-form\u0022 type=\u0022hidden\u0022 name=\u0022form_id\u0022 value=\u0022modal_form_example_modal_form\u0022 \/\u003E\n\u003C\/form\u003E\n\u003C\/div\u003E","dialogOptions":{"width":"800","modal":true,"title":"Republish this content"}}]