It’s Time To Have A Real Conversation About The Quality Of Digital Life

As the digital world’s advancements entwine more and more into our everyday activities, it’s crucial to have a meaningful conversation about the quality of our digital lives. This week, I participated in the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) World Forum on Well-being, and was reminded of how much we know about digital readiness, social media, cybersecurity, connectivity, and other technologies. Research and studies have shown their effects on specific parts of our lives, but what remains unclear is their overall impact on our well-being. 

That work starts today, with the launch of our Digital Well-being Hub 

This week, we launched the Digital Well-being Hub in partnership with the OECD to bring all the pieces together. The data, the science, and crucially, people’s lived experiences, all in one place so we can better understand the impact digital technology is having on people’s lives around the world.  

It’s worth stopping for a moment and talking about what sets the Hub and our partnership with the OECD apart from other initiatives.  

Part-crowdsourcing tool, part-research tool, the Hub builds on the OECD’s previous research to provide a comprehensive look at well-being in digital life – the risks and the benefits.  

What makes the Hub unique is how it gives us the ability to hear directly from everyday people and ask them what their digital life is like. We’re collecting real-time evidence about how satisfied they are in their lives, their mental health, their digital skills, how they communicate with their friends and family, their feelings of personal security in a cyber world and their proficiency with AI.  

It’s never been done like this before. 

The world needs this holistic approach to shape conversations and policies in the years to come so we can help people, communities, governments, and industry responsibly navigate the AI era—and help them get ready for what comes next. 

We don’t expect these conversations to be easy. We cannot embrace the good and the great of technology without confronting the perils of connectivity.  

Here’s how we’re going to improve the quality of digital life for all. 

When digital technology is accessible, available, and affordable
it can improve economic well-being and transform the way we work, live, and connect.  

Identity the gaps so we know what we need to address 

To address our digital well-being, we must first identify the existing gaps. For example, we know that 40% of people who use the internet in OECD countries lack basic digital skills, and 14% experience loneliness. The potential for digital tools to worsen these issues is a reality we must confront.  

But how do people experience these issues daily? And how do the dimensions of our digital life – digital skills, jobs, social connectedness, cybersecurity and more – all come together to impact our well-being? 

When digital technology is accessible, available, and affordable—and people have the right skills—it can improve economic well-being and transform the way we work, live, and connect.  

But the effects on society, the environment, and how these relate to our well-being are less clear cut. Excessive or problematic use heightens the risks and negative effects of digital technology. 

So to improve the quality of digital life, we must study, analyse and measure our digital experience. 

Lead the conversation 

We can’t close these gaps on our own. That’s why we recognize the value of coming together at events like the OECD Well-being Forum. The conversations have begun. But with the solid base of evidence the Hub will help us build, they’re about to become much more robust. 

The findings that will come from the Hub and our partnership with the OECD will inform existing and future dialogues with governments, industry, academia, non-profits, and communities. Conversations that are about unlocking the value of technology to power safe and inclusive communities, and resilient economies. 

Leave no one behind in the digital future 

Right now, the global conversation is dominated by how AI and new technologies are resetting the way we live, work, and connect. The opportunities are immense. But we aren’t blind to the challenges. 

Cisco is—and has long been—committed to shaping responsible and ethical AI, securing critical infrastructure, and offering next-generation digital skills so everyone can benefit from the promise and opportunity of the AI era and prosper in a technology-driven world. 

We recognize that trust is the currency of the digital age, and it’s incumbent upon business and industry leaders to be ethical and trustworthy stewards of technology and data to propel us into the digital future. Technology and automation will displace 83 million jobs in the next four years. And at the same time, create 69 million new jobs globally. The scale of those predictions takes on new meaning when you consider that six in ten workers will require training before 2027, but only half of workers are seen to have access to adequate training opportunities today1. We have a responsibility as technologists to make sure people have the skills and the resilience to live a fulfilling digital life.    

But what about the third of the world’s population who live without access to the internet in a world fundamentally transformed by digital technology? The people who are, in effect, excluded from digital life? 

The risk is they will become invisible. That isn’t fair. And it’s entirely unnecessary. We have the capability to connect everyone, everywhere in this digital age. It just takes the will and a collaborative effort from government, academia, and industry.   

When we connect the unconnected, we have the potential to lift 500 million people out of poverty and contribute 6.7 trillion dollars to the global GDP2. When we achieve that future, we’ll know that the research we started today with the OECD, and the vital contributions from people all over the world, helped make that happen. 

(CTA) Act now for the people you care about. And for the generations to come. 

We built the Digital Well-being Hub with the OECD to give everyone a say in our collective digital future.  

From the smallest act—lending 10 minutes of your time to tell us about your digital life—you join our global effort to critically explore and better understand the impacts of technology on our well-being so that we can build sustainable, inclusive and resilient economies.   

Your contribution could be the turning point in a body of evidence that will change the world for someone you know. And someone you don’t. 

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