An overview of week one

The overall theme for this first week of our course is ‘Digital technology and wellbeing’, and we’ll be breaking that down into two activities:

1. What is digital wellbeing?

Digital wellbeing is a relatively new concept. So what is our current understanding of the topic? In this activity Dr Lena Gega explains the difference between wellbeing and mental health. We will start to reflect on our own understanding of wellbeing and how this relates to our interactions with digital technologies. We’ll also explore the ‘information society’ and determine how we identify facts and fiction in a post truth world. We will take a look behind the headlines and explore the skills required to be a critical consumer of information.

It is worth noting at this stage, this course considers digital wellbeing from a sociological perspective, the main course facilitators are library and information technology professionals, not healthcare professionals. If you require medical advice and support we recommend you contact an appropriate healthcare service.

2. Technology, trends and behaviours

How have new and existing technologies had an impact on the way we interact with others and our behaviours? What impact have digital technologies had on our relationships, values and broader society? In this activity we will start to explore some literature on the topic of technology, and its impact on our private lives, through the digital wellbeing lens.

We’ll be hearing from a range of staff from the University of York, including academics and professional staff. They will offer their perspectives on digital technology and wellbeing, and provide us with an insight into their research.

Aims and Objectives

By the end of this week you should have:

• Explored definitions of wellbeing, digital wellbeing and mental health, and reflected on your own digital practices
• Identified issues around information-seeking behaviours and critical evaluation of information
• Started to consider the impact of digital technologies on how we behave and interact with others

We hope you enjoy the topics we’ll be covering this week, and that through them you’re able to develop your understanding of digital wellbeing and start to apply some strategies to critically engage with information and digital technologies.