As if technology and social media weren’t addicting enough, stay-at-home orders, online learning and working remotely has us using technology more than ever. Along with the COVID-19 pandemic changing the way we view and use technology, social issues are also shining a new light on social media and the way we use our online presence. 

What impact does this technology and online platforms have on us? How can we make these digital experiences meaningful for ourselves and/or others? How can we use these resources to influence positive peace?

Popular Technology and Online Platforms

For many of us, our day-to-day routine involves technology including but not limited to TVs, Smartphones and laptops or desktops. For many people, their daily online routine likely includes swipes between Facebook, Instagram, and even TikTok. If you work remotely, you probably check your email dozens of times a day, along with using other more professional communication platforms such as Slack, Skype, Asana and Airtable. Zoom and Google Hangouts are some of the most popular methods of video conferencing and communication during this time, between work-related meetings, academic lectures and even personal parties or “gatherings” with friends and family.

If technology and social networking weren’t already a major part of our lives and daily routines, they sure are now. In fact, according to a Pew Research Center Survey, 53% of Americans consider the internet as essential, and 34% believe the internet to be important, though not essential. Whether we use them for work, school, entertainment, education, or news, this technology has become a crucial resource for us during unprecedented times. As our online presence increases and persists, we must adjust accordingly to both have and create positive online experiences. 

Impact of Current Events on Technology and Platform Usage

Since the stay-at-home order went into place a few months ago in many states, workplaces that were able to make the switch to remote work. Following suit, many school districts and universities switched entirely to online learning. Then, many nonessential businesses closed as well. The combination of working and learning remotely, as well as simply being bored at home, led to a 50-70% increase in technology usage according to Forbes Magazine.

Another major current event weighing in on technology and social media usage is the social unrest surrounding racial inequality in the U.S. Anyone who uses social media can attest to a recent increase in social media activism or use in general. The increase in social media platform use in this case has both negative and positive effects of users and the issues at hand. Some of the positive effects have been an increased self-awareness and self-education through these platforms. Furthermore, these social platforms have also served as a constantly evolving news source for many.

How We Can Use these Resources to increase Positive Peace 

We often hear that technology and social media use can be harmful to us and others around us. Though this may be the case, we cannot successfully or long-term remove technology and social media from our lives to create peace for ourselves and others. What we can do, however, is figure out how to use the resources at our fingertips in order to increase positive peace in our daily lives and the lives of others. The Harvard School of Public Health states that the ways in which people use social media are more important than the duration and frequency of social media use. Here are some steps we can take to make our technology use and online presence valuable:

• Use technology and social media to have positive episodes of engagement with others. The easiest and most efficient way to influence positive peace in your life and in others’ is to directly have positive interactions with others. Whether it be your family, friends or coworkers, social media and technology in general can be a powerful tool to put a smile on your faces.

• Use technology and social media to educate yourself and help inform others. The internet is the most powerful resource in our hands - also arguably the cheapest and most accessible way to gather information. By educating ourselves and others, we can bridge gaps between ourselves and others, and help cross existing difference boundaries.

• Be aware of misinformation. With potential for information and education, widely used technology and social media also brings about the potential for misinformation. The spread of misinformation can be toxic and counterproductive. You can actively combat the spread of misinformation through the emphasis of using technology as a method for education and fact checking, as mentioned above. 

• Remind yourself that these are resources for communication, entertainment, growth or education - but not to become emotionally attached to. The Harvard School of Public Health found that emotional attachment to social media, in forms such as compulsive refreshing of apps or feeling disconnected when not using them, led to negative outcomes in social well-being, positive mental health, and self-rated health. By valuing these resources without developing a reliance on them, your own health will benefit, resulting in other outward positive outcomes.

• Actively seek out opportunities for growth. Through all of it’s valuable resources - connections, information, creativity - technology and social media offer plenty of opportunities for growth as an individual or as a team. By identifying and seizing these opportunities, we have the ability to create value for ourselves and others that can then lead to a domino effect of positive peace.

• Take breaks from your technology to avoid burnout. In the end, positive change starts with small steps and habits. By taking time away from social media and our devices, we give ourselves the time necessary to rest and refresh amid the constant online presences that surround us, so that we can be the most productive and present versions of ourselves. 

Through understanding what important technology and social media exist today, how they are used and how they are influenced and can influence current world events, we can figure out how to influence positive peace within our own lives and beyond. Following a few key steps in your daily life and online routine can greatly benefit your own health and wellness, and this positive change will radiate outwards.  

To learn more about positive peace, check out the PeaceX YouTube Series here