DIGITAL WELLNESS


Caitlin Krause (2025). Digital Wellbeing.


Krause has an MFA in Fine Arts and has presented/consulted/collaborated on digital wellbeing projects for over a decade.

The book is a conversation about digital wellbeing that includes interviews with experts in the field, lots of questions for consideration, and novel ideas for exploring.

Overall, the writing is short on practice and pragmatics...i kept writing "HOW?" in the margins...there is also an underlying assumption that people have access to the software and hardware for these new technologies like VR, AR, MR...there are many exaggerated claims that need qualification (the long term benefits of digital wellbeing remain to be tested) 

parts were surprisingly hard for me to read, i kept asking, "SO WHAT?"...most/many of the digital wellbeing outcomes can be had for FREE without digital devices, e.g., noticing walk, actively notice new things to increase mindfulness--i don't need an app or virtual world to do that!

i found Krause's online talks much more engaging than the book...the references are well documented for those wanting to learn more.


practice: are there any digital practices that increase your feeling of wellbeing, if so, can these be adapted to practices without a device for use in everyday life, try both the digital and the real life practices and compare, which do you prefer and why, which is more sustainable in the long run, which would you recommend for children and why?





Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Image
GOOD CHEMISTRY Julie Holland (2020). Good Chemistry:                                     The Science of Connection                                     from Soul to Psychedelics. Holland is a medical doctor and psychiatrist with experience working in mental hospitals, emergency rooms, and in private practice. She began experimenting with psychedelics early in life.  The book is filled with research and case studies. I appreciate the organizational structure of the book around self, partner, family, community, nature, and the cosmos. This parallels my  SONG of life structure of self, others, nature, and God-Goddess-the Divine.  Each chapter has practices for connecting. For example, the first chapter on connecting with self describes a breathing technique whereby one breathes in and out ...
Read more
Image
200 COMMUNICATION COMMANDMENTS Doug Campbell (2021). The 200 Communication Commandments:                                                 Practical Tips for                                                  Personal and Professional Situations. Campbell is a former high school teacher. Much of what he writes is based on advice from his college years where he overcame his fear of communicating. Overall, there are many helpful tips, AND these tips include much more than just communication which makes the title somewhat misleading (e.g., tips for getting enough sleep, learning from old people, and following through with promises are not communication commandments). Also, at least half of the tips star...
Read more
  POSSIBLE HUMAN Jean Houston (1982). The possible human: A course in enhancing your physical, mental, and creative abilities. Houston began research on human possibilities in the 1960's as part of the Foundation for Mind Research for 17 years with over 1k people. The majority of the book guides the reader through activities/experiments in AWAKENING the body, senses, brain, memory, evolutionary history, and creative realms of inner space (including devices to alter states of consciousness). The description of the possible human at the beginning of the book is so INSPIRING...may we all move this direction in fulfilling our human potential!  There are so many practices! I highlight only a few here: 1) Find out what "turns you on" by observing your own internal reactions to words and images, 2) Celebrate all of your senses with music and dance, 3) Create a time machine yardstick with three 12-inch segments: the left most 12 inches represents the past, the middle 12 inches is...
Read more