Business - Written by Jeff Perron on Monday, March 30, 2009 20:00 - 5 Comments
Does the Web make us happy? – Part One
Nearly every prominent element of the human environment – from housing, to family, to diet, to climate – has been implicated in countless analyses of its correlation with human happiness. The Web, and how we use it, however, has not been.
In searching (the Web) for thinkers who have given thought to a correlation between happiness and our use of the Web, I found Jim Stolze‘s Virtual Happiness Project. Stolze’s research question – Does the Web make us happy? – is the focus of this post, the first of two on the topic of the Web and human happiness.
Stolze postulates that our romance with the Web (which has only grown stronger with the level of interactivity that characterizes Web 2.0) is fuelled by our need to interact with others. Stolze observes that, i) being social makes us happy; ii) the Web facilitates social interaction; and iii) unsurprisingly, we have readily adopted the Web.
If the Web facilitates the social interactions that make us so happy, does the Web itself make us happy? I realize in full that this is an incredibly simple, broad, and highly ambitious research question. It is, however, a question that deserves contemplation and serious academic attention, particularly since any child born today will likely grow up online, bathed in bits, figuratively speaking.
Immediately, a number of examples pro (a CBS report on internet addiction) and contra (an earlier post on how the power of the Web is being harnessed by therapists to treat clients) the Web’s ability to elicit happiness come to mind.
Is this a debate that comes to the common, but anticlimatic, conclusion, “like anything, it can be good in moderation?” Or will we able to say, conclusively, that humans are happier living with the Web?
5 Comments
Naumi Haque
It’s an interesting dynamic between addiction and happiness. At what point in addiction does happiness turn to dependence?
In terms of the generation that is bathed in bits, I think that the Internet will become so pervasive that it will be seen as a utility rather than a medium of entertainment (if it isn’t already). Think of the increasing number of physical appliances that are Internet enabled. Asking the question “Does the Web make us happy?” in 10 years will be like asking “Does electricity make us happy?” Initiatives like Earth Hour (http://www.earthhour.org)
or big events like the blackout of 2003
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2003_North_America_blackout) are important because they force us to sit back and evaluate the impact of utilities like electricity, phone, or the Web on our day-to-day lives in the West.
Wikinomics» Blog Archive » Does the Web make us happy? - Part Two
[...] Last week I introduced you to Jim Stolze’s Virtual Happiness Project. In exploring the topic of the Web and its effect on our happiness more deeply, I spoke with Mr. Stolze himself. He walked me through some of his findings – evidence both pro and contra the notion that the Web is a source of happiness. Today, I share some of the evidence with you. [...]
Wikinomics – Are you addicted to social media?
[...] Jim Stolze on the virtues of social interaction on the web, posing the rather esoteric question: Does the web make us happy? Related to this, I recently came across a great series of info-graphics from Retrevo that suggest [...]
Are you addicted to social media? « Not Another Framework
[...] Jim Stolze on the virtues of social interaction on the web, posing the rather esoteric question: Does the web make us happy? Related to this, I recently came across a great series of info-graphics from Retrevo that suggest [...]
Now available in paperback!
Don Tapscott and Anthony D. William's latest collaboration, Macrowikinomics: New Solutions for a Connected Planet. Learn more.
Business - Oct 5, 2010 12:00 - 0 Comments
DRM and us
More In Business
- Facebook, Facebook, Facebook
- Survey: How are you using Facebook, Twitter, smart phones, and other technology platforms?
- Will Facebook be your CRM provider?
- Wiki Banking
- The importance of being competent
Entertainment - Aug 3, 2010 13:14 - 2 Comments
Want to see the future? Look to the games
More In Entertainment
- Lessons in collaboration from B.B. King’s
- CL!CK – LEGO’s fun social product development platform
- Peer Pressure 2.0: Farmville
- Online gaming more than just fun
- The NFL – The most protective league, attempting to control the uncontrollable
Society - Aug 6, 2010 8:19 - 4 Comments
The Empire strikes a light
More In Society
- Balance: customer receptivity vs. customer revulsion
- The Net Gen: Too plugged-in for parenting?
- Are you addicted to social media?
- The privacy discussion we need to have
- “The Data-Driven Life”: Who’s not interested in discovery?
As a ‘information junk’ (I love magazines, websites) I really enjoy the web very much. Not only in my profession as conference organiser but also as a private person.