This website is your personal guide in today's world to attaining happiness.
What is Human Happiness?
And where does technology come into it?
Simply put, human happiness can be met through meeting basic human needs. Those human needs have been defined and subsequently ranked in many different ways over time, but perhaps the most famous iteration of this idea is "Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs". Keep in mind that this pyramid has been revised over time to include more insights and information regarding the basic human needs, and I will present two versions of the hierarchical pyramid to account for those changes.
As you can see, this revised version includes some new topics, including transcendence, aesthetic needs, and cognitive needs, as well as outside descriptors that divide the information into two categories, "growth needs" and "deficiency needs". Growth needs are relatively self-explanatory; they have to do with the desire to be your best self as a human, and 'self-actualize' your life to reach your full potential, whereas deficiency needs concern your physiological needs (eating, love, sex, sleep) along with basic safety needs (security, freedom from danger). Interestingly enough, Maslow stated that in most cases, the lower needs (deficiency needs) are what we feel the need to complete before growth needs.
Social Media : Does it Hurt or Help?
"If I know I have these basic human needs, does social media help me or hurt me in my mission to meet these needs?"
The simple answer is: it's neither good nor bad. It simply comes down to what we choose to use it for and how we choose to use it. For example, there is a lot of research that supports social media as a platform that brings people together, people who otherwise would assume they had no community of like-minded individuals they could relate to. Additionally, during times of emergency, like the 2022 baby formula shortage, Facebook brought local communities together, helping parents share information on recipes and where different brands would still be located.
Alternatively, the problem with this is its mainly an issue of misusing social media that leads to problems down the road, and it is something that is very easy to misuse. Especially when the system is built on 'reductionist' qualities, where you amount to your interests, and advertising the correct things to you is all that matters. With its ability to suck us in and show us what we want to see, it is easy for the relationship between us and social media to become unhealthy. But, that is where digital wellness comes into play; keep scrolling to learn more.
Digital Wellness: Finding Middle Ground
What is it, and how do I know if I am doing it right?
Digital wellness can be described best as a spectrum, a spectrum that incorporates all your technology usage into one place. It is almost as if we share a relationship with technology, ranging from a healthy one to an unhealthy one. It is up to us to be honest with ourselves and admit whether or not our relationship with technology is healthy or not. I have included a graph of the spectrum above, to make visualization of this idea easier.
By practicing digital wellness, you will be better prepared to:
- Live in harmony with the two enviroments
- Connect with other people in meaningful ways
- embrace mindfulness and self care through intentional practices
- Make new friends, and stronger relationships
Just to name a few.
In order to find this healthy balance, one must ask themselves a series of questions:
- Reflect on how, when, where, and how often we use tech
- Ask what you pay attention to, and the level of quality you pay to it
- How do you align your values and motivations with tech?
What Apps Would Help?
A list of the best in 2024
The best mental health apps are measured by affordability, user-friendliness, and how well-designed they are. The apps that follow are all ranked by a list updated this month, so they are all very relevant apps. These apps include:
- Best for online therapy: "BetterHelp"
- Best for depression: "Talkspace"
- Best for mindfulness:"Headspace"
- Best for addiction: "I Am Sober"
- Best for sleep: "Calm"
- Best for anxiety: "Worry Watch"
And this is just a few of them. The link below provides an updated website of all the recommended mental health apps, give them a try! They could change your life.
Thank You!
For taking the time to read this
I hope that this webpage has been informative, and taught you more about mental/physical health as it relates to technology and social media.