On an average, people are spending 3 hours 15 minutes on their phones every day, while it is over 4 hours 30 minutes for the top 20% of smartphone users: RescueTime

Now ask yourselves these five questions to understand your digital wellness. 

• Do I check my phone first and the last thing every day? 
• Do I let my child watch cartoons on the iPad during mealtimes?
• Do I get distracted by mobile notifications while working or spending time with family? 
• Do I let my child spend more than the allocated time to browse the internet every day?
• Do I mostly feel negative in the digital world? 

If most of the answers are yes, please read on. If not, still read on, you might find comfort in thoughts and practices that resonate. 

Why technology can be a force for good 

Its undeniable that technology plays a crucial role in our everyday life, almost an inextricable role. If the world could transition, almost overnight, from office to home to a hybrid setup, technology deserves the credit. If today an app can alert family and friends of an epilepsy patient about an impending seizure, its due to technology. If today we can book a play session for our children and even pay their school fee online, technology has made it possible. 

On the other hand, if the world today is becoming an increasingly lonely place with people choosing to chat on apps versus meeting in person it’s also a side effect of technology. If screen time among children has increased versus spending quality time with friends in an unrestrained environment closer to nature, its due to the influence of technology. If today our colleagues are feeling fatigued due to extended hours spent on their digital devices, we can partially blame it on technology. 

So, at a juncture when the use of technology is non-negotiable its perhaps best to evaluate how we can use it to our advantage. Within our Group, we’ve used technology in the following ways for it to be a force for good. 

• To automate processes – relating to finance, HR and operations across our stores and office – making the ecosystem more efficient and transparent
• To better connect with our colleagues in a hybrid environment where we may not meet regularly yet have authentic conversations
• To create a sense of community online through our brands – Orange Wheels, Orange Hub and Orange Seeds Nursery – engaging with our visitors in the most meaningful ways also offering them educational content.

How to make the digital space happier and positive

At the end of the day, it really falls upon us to morph the digital space and use it to our advantage. So, let’s ask some more questions.

Will we let our children have mindless screen time, impacting their physical and mental health? 

Or shall we use the digital space to create happy, positive and learning experiences for them?

For example, instead of letting children watch cartoons or playing games beyond the allocated time, they can spend some time to connect with family members and friends living in a different country through video chats. This can help is helping our children to build and strengthen relationships even if we are living in two different ends of the world. 

In case of adults, we can mindfully consume content that add value to our lives instead of the genre that make us feel insignificant. A great starting point is to vet the online sources that we browse everyday and evaluate how we benefit from them. 

In the work setup too, we can find more ways to meaningfully connect with colleagues sharing positive content with them, ones that are motivational as well as relevant for work. 

Importantly to use technology and digital platforms to meaningfully disrupt the lives of people, we must first think of innovations that are people-centric, enriching lives by ensuring digital wellness as opposed to causing toxicity.