How does the digital world affect people?
Our Digital Well-being Explorer draws on existing OECD research, showing you insights from the science, existing trends, and facts about digital life. Where we can, we go beyond national averages to include data about different groups of people, sectors of the economy, and regions within countries.
We also highlight some benefits and risks of technology. But these upsides and downsides aren’t a balanced equation. There’s still more research to do to understand how technology influences our lives and our well-being. For a more in-depth understanding of the findings, click here for the full scientific literature review.
Please note that if data for an indicator is not available in the selected country, the bar will remain grey. If data for an indicator is not available in the comparison country, the country label will not appear.
Knowledge and skills
The upside
People with a better education or skills can get more out of new technologies. They can take greater advantage of online services in their day-to-day or work remotely. Plus, the more digitally-savvy you are, the more you may earn or the better you may do in your studies, if not distracted by non-productive uses of internet.
The downside
Not everyone has the digital literacy to use online services like tele-health properly. Digital distractions or too much information can overwhelm and overload people, impacting not only our focus, but also the way our brains process information.
Work and job quality
The upside
Digital technology can improve work, make us more efficient, and cut down on the tedious and dangerous jobs in ways that can improve worker engagement and physical safety. It can also match the best people with the right jobs.
The downside
Inequalities in jobs and income security that come with a more digitised workplace can have an impact. Things like access to social protections, career development, training, and protection against discrimination.
Work-life balance
The upside
Remote work can lead to better worker satisfaction and trust can be gained in the workplaces where workers are consulted regarding the use of new technologies.
The downside
The constant connection of digital life can creep into personal time and may lead to burnout and stress. Traditional occupational and health standards might not reach the remote office, so those workers might be at risk of musculoskeletal disorders, eye strain, and injuries.
Health
The upside
Digital technology has helped medical practitioners exchange best practices, advance their research, and provide healthcare and prevention support online. And technology that helps people cut screen time improves our self-reported well-being.
The downside
Digital technology can impact both our physical and mental health. Too much screen time can contribute to depression, loneliness, and stress, leading to problems in behaviour and conduct.
Social connections
The upside
Digital technology helps people connect easily and often. But different types of technology like social media and AI can change the way we connect. And the impact depends on how we use these tools and the quality of our interactions.
The downside
It’s not clear (yet) if the connections we make online can help us shape meaningful bonds. It’s likely we’ll need to balance our digital and face-to-face interactions if we want to maintain meaningful relationships – particularly for young children and teenagers and the effect it could have as they develop their social skills.
Civic engagement
The upside
Digital technology and media can boost ‘offline’ civic and political participation when people use it to do things like attend public meetings or connect with each other. Civic and political engagement is also growing among young people who are now looking for their news and debating politics online.
The downside
Challenges like unequal access to digital technology and the spread of misinformation can damage democracy in the digital age. Responsible governance and ethical practices can help establish credibility, overcome privacy concerns, promote transparency, and ultimately, build trust.
Environmental quality
The upside
Digital technology creates opportunities for us to improve the quality of our environment. It’s helping us become more efficient and keep track of our impact on our environment.
The downside
The ‘e-waste’ we generate and how much energy we consume can be a challenge to our relationship with our environment.
Personal safety
The upside
We’ve already taken some big steps to protect our personal data and sensitive information online.
The downside
Cybersecurity and privacy threats, plus who we talk to online, can weaken our personal safety – especially when factoring for gender and age. Young children and teenagers are more vulnerable to cyberbullying, accessing unsafe material, and communicating with strangers who might groom or radicalise them.
Digital infrastructure
The upside
Access to critical digital infrastructure can unlock new opportunities and build resilience for communities, helping them overcome socio-economic, political, geographical, physical, and demographic barriers.
The downside
Giving everyone access to digital resources – and creating equal opportunities for more equitable use of digital tools – needs comprehensive strategies for implementation of digital technologies if we want to build the infrastructure, adapt our policies, boost digital literacy, and innovate.