The need for escapism is real – but are we avoiding reality by avoiding technology, or using technology to escape? New research from Kaspersky shows we’re doing both, with Gen Z finding the urge the greatest.
January has always been a time for reflection and resolution. But with dark nights and the festivities behind us, it can seem a long miserable slog until spring. So it’s no wonder January features so called Blue Monday – the date calculated to be the most depressing of the year on account of weather, lack of daylight hours and time since payday. As with most other areas of life, the approach of Blue Monday has people looking to technology to help soothe the realities of modern life, but also contemplating if tech could be causing some of the issues too?
New research from Kaspersky on European digital habits and resolutions for the coming year has shown that Europeans are making new years resolutions to set more positive digital habits - in a bid to boost mental health for 2024. This includes 12% of people choosing to make more of an effort to meet in person rather that online after 4 years of COVID restrictions and this was more of a priority for Germans (15%) and those in Spain (14%) than France (10%). Additionally, being more ‘present’ was the joint most popular resolution across all countries surveyed, with 12% saying they would vow to not check their phone during family time/meal times. This was pledged by proportionally more respondents in Spain (14%) and Italy (13%) than France (9%).
Delving further into how digital habits affect our mental health, the research also uncovered that greater numbers of us than ever before are taking active steps to limit the invasive push of notifications and ‘always on’ alerts because of the negative impact they have on our frame of mind. Four fifths (80%) of us have taken steps to limit exposure to depressing realities on digital devices with 32% blocking accounts on social media that upset them, 25% switching off push notifications on news sites and 23% muting messenger channels and groups that upset them. Furthermore, 22% have even gone as far as to avoid radio or television news broadcasts in a bid to stay happier.
The research showed that this desire is particularly strong in Generation Z, where over 60% said they expected to use digital escapism more next year (compared to 34% of Generation X and 24% of Baby Boomers) and 91% of Gen Z had taken steps to limit their exposure to upsetting information compared to 75% of Generation X and 65% of Baby Boomers). In the Netherlands and the UK, only a quarter of people (25%) have taken no steps at all to avoid unpleasant realities, whereas in Italy only 16% have not and 17% in France.
But conversely, whilst we’re limiting the unsolicited infiltration of ‘news’, it seems we’re also increasingly turning to our devices and technology to escape help reality, through the use of gaming and the web. Some 42% of respondents said they would be more likely to use digital escapism next year to escape and avoid the unpleasant or depressing realities of modern life. More people than average agree in Spain (53%) and the UK (49%), whereas fewer do so in Germany (30%).
“It’s unsurprising in this digital day and age that so many of us are looking at technology as both the solution and the problem when it comes to our happiness and satisfaction. The mental health risks associated with constantly-on social media and the non-stop news cycle have long been documented, as have the potential long-term effects of social-isolation, triggered by the COVID 19 pandemic. So it’s great to see that people are taking active steps to be more in control of their digital lives, being the drivers, rather than the passengers being inadvertently fed unsolicited information. I would really like to see this trend continue with people taking back control of their online lives and the information they receive and share digitally. The new year is a great time for a spring clean – to close unused accounts that could be compromised, check passwords for signs of weakness/compromise and to revisit how we interact with channels, apps and people, setting new parameters and healthy boundaries.” David Emm, Principal Security Researcher, Kaspersky.
