As we usher in a new year, countless resolutions will focus on our relationship with digital technology, with many centering on a singular goal: cutting back.
Yet, instead of resolving to use technology less, we might resolve to use it better. Many people appear to be thriving in their digital lives, and understanding their patterns of engagement can offer valuable insights for improving our own relationship with technology in 2025.
The impulse to cut back is understandable. The prevailing narrative surrounding digital tools, especially social media, paints a consistently bleak picture: addiction, deteriorating mental health, social disconnection, and political polarization. While these concerns merit serious attention, they represent only part of a more nuanced reality.
Academic research has documented a phenomenon known as “digital flourishing,” the positive experiences derived from engaging in social interactions online. This encompasses being motivated to pursue goals inspired by online experiences, feeling capable of engaging in civil discourse online, feeling in control of the time spent online, feeling connected to online communities, and feeling able to present one’s true self online. This research finds that people who are digitally flourishing are more likely to feel socially connected, inspired, and satisfied with their lives.
Building on this work, our team at the Archbridge Institute’s Human Flourishing Lab conducted a comprehensive survey to understand how prevalent digital flourishing is among people and its relationship with overall mental and social health. Our data reveal that most people are flourishing in almost every dimension of digital well-being, and 77% are flourishing in at least three out of five dimensions.
We also found strong relationships between digital flourishing and mental and social health. These findings suggest that, for most people, online interactions provide significant psychological benefits that merit recognition and cultivation.
Though our survey included American adults in all age groups, it was especially important to focus on Generation Z, the age cohort often cast as the poster child for the perils of technology. Headlines routinely blame social media for increased anxiety, depression, and loneliness among young adults. While these challenges are real — in our survey, Gen Z reports poorer mental and social health compared to older generations — this narrative misses a critical nuance.
Members of Gen Z are also more likely to experience key benefits of digital engagement. For instance, they are inspired to pursue their goals through social comparison more than older generations, and they feel a stronger sense of community online. These findings challenge the notion that digital media are solely sources of harm for younger people. Instead, they highlight the complexity of Gen Z’s digital experiences: While some struggle, many thrive.
Moreover, digital flourishing is strongly linked to overall mental and social health among members of Gen Z. For example, among those who feel in control of the time they spend online, 25% report having poor mental health. For those who do not feel in control, that number jumps to 43%. Americans of all ages benefit from digital flourishing. Still, since younger generations tend to be online more than older generations, it is perhaps especially important to understand how cultivating positive digital experiences can benefit their well-being.
The new year offers an ideal opportunity to recalibrate our relationship with digital technology. But rather than fixating on restriction or avoidance, approaches that often prove unsustainable and deprive us of technology’s benefits, we can instead cultivate more intentional patterns of engagement that enrich our daily lives.
There are a few ways to improve your digital flourishing in 2025. First, consider how to curate your digital environment by taking stock of who you follow and what content you consume online. Ask yourself: “Does this content inspire and connect me, or does it drain and frustrate me?”
At the same time, unfollow accounts that negatively affect your well-being and prioritize interactions that uplift you. Examine your online behavior and how it might affect others. Ask yourself: “Do the posts I share and my online comments represent my values and character well? Do they encourage healthy discourse?”
Finally, before opening any app or device, briefly identify your intention: What specific purpose will this digital engagement serve? It might be more helpful to focus on developing a sense of agency over your digital engagement than to create arbitrary time limits.
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Digital technology is here to stay, and its presence in our lives will only deepen. Recognizing its potential to enhance well-being is crucial — not to ignore problems but to provide a balanced perspective and actionable goals for improvement.
As we enter 2025, let’s embrace the concept of digital flourishing. It is a mindset that doesn’t just warn against the pitfalls of technology but celebrates its capacity to connect, inspire, and empower.
Sophie Janicke-Bowles is an associate professor at Chapman University and a fellow at the Human Flourishing Lab at the Archbridge Institute, where Clay Routledge is the vice president of research and director of the Human Flourishing Lab.
This article was originally published at www.washingtonexaminer.com
