Introduction to week three

Welcome to Week 3 of our course on Digital Wellbeing. We hope you have learned some new things in the past two weeks and taken the opportunity to reflect on your own digital practices and the impact they may have on your wellbeing.

In this, the final week, we will start to look at how we can have a positive impact on other people’s wellbeing in the online world, and how we can increase engagement by accessible design.

1. Safety and community

What platforms and online communities will work for you? We will consider how we can make informed decisions about which social networks we join and how we can engage in positive ways with others online. We will also explore the world of online dating and ‘swiping right’.

2. Cultural change and inclusion

How has technology changed culture and how we engage with media? Are we engaging differently with physical spaces as technology has become ubiquitous in the modern world? In this activity we will explore some of the changes that have taken place, not only online but in the physical world, as technology has developed. We will consider how we widen engagement with technologies and ensure that we design with accessibility in mind.

3. Improving

The digital society is not all negative. In this activity we will look at some examples of how technology has been used to improve mental health and wellbeing. We will look at some apps designed to help your digital wellbeing, and consider evolving attitudes to technology. There will also be opportunity for you to share your thoughts on digital wellbeing and what you have learnt through engaging with this course.

Aims and objectives

By the end of this week you should have:

• Developed strategies for engaging positively in online communities and ensuring your online safety;
• Explored how technology has changed how we engage with culture, and the effects it has had on engagement with physical spaces;
• Considered ethical and universal design features and how these can be applied to improve accessibility and wellbeing;
• Applied aspects of best practice to improve the digital wellbeing of yourself and others.

We hope you enjoy the topics we will be covering this week, and that through it you are able to participate in a positive way online, identifying opportunities to improve wellbeing in the digital environment.