A new report by scientists from Masaryk University provides the first representative data on the so-called digital well-being of the Czech adult population. The results show that technology is indispensable for most people and brings them inspiration, meaning and entertainment – but at the same time, for a part of the population, it causes stress, distracts attention and disrupts their sense of control.
Everyday life for many adults today requires the ownership and use of various digital technologies, such as a smartphone or computer, and constant connection to the Internet. A new report by scientists from the Interdisciplinary Research on Internet and Society (IRTIS) at Masaryk University shines some light on how adults aged 18 to 59 are doing with their digital well-being.
“In connection with the frequent use of technology, digital well-being is gaining importance,” explained Michaela Šaradín Lebedíková, the lead author of the report. “Digital well-being is a variable individual experience consisting of the advantages and disadvantages that the use of technology brings us. Digital well-being is one part of overall well-being and people achieve it when they are able to fully use technology in their lives and limit its negative impacts. It is a topic that has been little researched in the world. Our report therefore provides some of the first comprehensive data on adults in the world.”
Czech adults use computers and phones most of all; computers play a major role at work, where 49% of adults use them 5 to 8 hours a day. In their free time, mobile phones dominate – up to 45% of adults use them 2 to 5 hours a day.
Research shows that technology is now seen by most people (71%) as an indispensable part of life. The majority (62%) of adults also find technology inspiring and meaningful, and almost three-quarters of adults find technology helps them organize their daily routines. Most people also appreciate its fun function – 72% of adults see digital technologies as a source of entertainment and 62% use them to relieve boredom. Only 7% of adults do not enjoy using technology.
On the other hand, almost a fifth of adults (17%) are stressed by the feeling of having to be online all the time, and 22% admit that technology reduces their productivity at home and at work. In addition, a significant proportion of people say that technology distracts them more than they would like (41%) and that it makes them feel less present in the moment (36%). However, for 76% of adults, using technology does not lead to conflicts with family, friends or colleagues at work. More than half of adults (65%) do not think that technology is a waste of time.
According to study co-author David Šmahel, it is important to add that both positive and negative experiences with technology are common – technology is sometimes good for people and sometimes bad. Young adults most often report conflicting experiences.
“Young people in particular perceive technology as more fun and meaningful than older generations, but at the same time they more often experience feelings of wasting time with technology. This is probably related to the fact that they spend more time on it,” said Šmahel. The researchers did not find any fundamental differences in the perception of technology between men and women.
Another important finding is that most people try to consciously regulate digital technology, at least sometimes. Approximately 90% of adults have used a so-called digital disconnection strategy. Most often, these are simple and common strategies – half of adults regularly set their phone to silent mode, place it face down, or simply ignore it during important activities. Strategies that require certain settings in advance are not as popular. Up to two-thirds of adults have never used an application that restricts access to other applications, nor have they communicated their unavailability through the “do not disturb” function.
“The data shows that people more often choose more natural strategies than pre-set rules that require active behavior change,” concluded Šaradín Lebedíková.
The target population of the research was working people aged 18 to 59 who use information technology for their work. The final sample consisted of 2,000 participants and was selected according to quotas (gender, age, education, size of place of residence, region and net household income), which were verified before entering the study. The participants were part of the Czech National Panel.
