Digital Hygiene

Although today's access to technology offers us many possibilities, when we are unable to work with and use it in an appropriate way, we can fall into a trap that will result in overwork, fatigue, distraction and burnout. This is relevant in both private and professional life. Because today our work often does not have to be assigned to a place because we can work online, clear boundaries between time spent online and offline have disappeared. We must set these boundaries ourselves, adhering to a certain discipline and organizational framework.

It is not easy when leisure time is also filled with online content, because — let's not hide — our hobbies and social relationships have also largely moved to the virtual world. How to save yourself from this addictive habit of being altijd op and take care of your well-being?

The issue of digital hygiene

The concept of digital hygiene is connected to our body and psyche and how modern technology affects it. Living in harmony with this hygiene means that we have developed in ourselves a set of activities and attitudes thanks to which our use electronic devices and modern technologies, will not pose a threat to our life and health. This is the basis of the definition, however, equally important elements are the reactions of our body and psyche when using digital technology. To the other points of the concept of digital hygiene we also include:

• Limiting screen time (screen time), on websites and other applications. Setting boundaries and controlling the use of new technologies.
• Creatively and responsibly use the way that the network offers us while taking care of individual somatic, mental and social health. The use of information and communication technology is associated with access to alternatives to the digital world; healthy relationships, social life and the ability to self-regulate behavior.
• Practicing behaviors that affect our life balance and prevent the psychological and physiological negative effects of excessive time spent in front of a computer or smartphone.
• Digital hygiene can also be combined with cybersecurity; that is, caution in contact with technology.

Results of research on digital hygiene in Poland

One of the most important results of a study by the Institute for Digital Citizenship and the Orange Foundation revealed three key elements: controlling screen time, limiting the number of notifications on the phone and avoiding the use of screens before bed. Report from National Digital Hygiene Survey 2022 conducted by the above-mentioned organizations in Poland on adults revealed the following data:

14% - controls the time spent in front of the screen.

Almost 66% - believes that he spends a lot or too much time in front of the screen.

20% - limits the number of notifications on the phone.

9% - avoids the use of screens before going to bed.

As the digital space has become an important space for life, the study also analyzed What we do most often with the use of screen devices.

What we use screen devices for:

73,5 % - activity on social networks.

61% - communication with others.

Almost 55% - search for information.

48% - professional work and study.

As can be seen from the above data, 48% of respondents use technology for work and study. However, taking into account the fact that several of the listed actions can be performed simultaneously on one device, the line between them is blurred. As a result, we often function not in the mode of performing separate tasks, but in the mode of jumping from window to window, which leads to distraction between different activities. While we may see ourselves as multitaskers, in reality our brains expend enormous amounts of energy to refocus on tasks that we are unable to complete while working on them at the same time.

Effects of lack of digital hygiene

Foundation I care about my reach It lists the consequences of the abuse of new technologies, which at a time when 4.54 billion people worldwide use the Internet and 3.8 billion social media are a significant threat. The consequences of a lack of digital hygiene include:

• Neglect of duties,
• tiredness, lack of sleep, deterioration of health (e.g. vision problems)
• difficulty concentrating, decrease in work efficiency,
• cyberstress, FOMO syndrome and an “always on” attitude,
• cyberbullying and sexting,
• withdrawal from social relations and deterioration of contacts with loved ones,
• risk of professional burnout.

Today, after the pandemic, we are increasingly paying attention to the negative consequences of prolonged screen time and continuous technological availability. Developing healthy habits is sometimes a challenge, but being aware of the negative consequences should be a warning signal and an inspiration to make changes in your life.

Methods of action and recommendations

One of the recommendations of the Institute of Digital Citizenship is to pay attention to the principles of digital hygiene in the culture of the organization. It includes the recently established Australian right to be offline, which we wrote about in the article Employees: the right to be offline.

Due to the impact of the use of screen devices and the Internet on the daily functioning of the human being, the principles of digital hygiene should be an element of the occupational hygiene of every responsible organization. Prevention of problematic Internet use and granting employees the right to be disconnected promotes the preservation of mental health, allows for effective rest, and thus fits into the prevention of burnout and improves work efficiency.

The fourth part of the Digital Hygiene Self-Assessment Questionnaire in National Digital Hygiene Survey 2022 focuses on sixteen selected health-promoting behaviors related to the use of screen devices and the Internet. These include eight key aspects of a healthy lifestyle, such as: concern for sleep quality, mindful eating, preventing infections, taking care of proper posture and regular physical activity, protecting hearing, developing positive interpersonal relationships, managing emotions and stress, and ensuring safety when moving around in traffic.

It is worth citing the results from the section on coping with emotions and stress, as they reflect our sense of psychological comfort in relation to digital technology.

Only 22.0% of users check and Internet users “always or almost always” pay attention to their well-being, and the use of the Internet causes tension in 85.5% of the respondents. Of these, only less than 20% “always or almost always” try to lower them.

Coping with stress is recognizing its sources, reacting to it, and taking steps to reduce it. In the case of dealing with emotions, we are dealing with recognizing emotions, becoming aware of their influence on one's behavior, and reacting to different emotions.

Due to the fact that the Internet is also an important and often necessary tool at work, our resistance to stress and the ability to cope with emotions is put to a great test. To cope with this contemporary challenge, we need good practices that will serve our body-mental hygiene.

Below are some rules of digital hygiene developed based on the 10 principles of digital hygiene created by I Care About My Reach Foundation and Gov.pl recommendations:

• TIME: Try to control the time you spend online.
• DEPOSITING: Put your phone away in situations where you don't need to use it.
• SHUTDOWN: Turn off some notifications and sounds.
• TRAINING: Do not replace all activities with applications, practice logical and independent thinking, concentration and memory.
• ONE ACTION AT A TIME: Don't be tempted to multitask - focus on one activity and do it from start to finish.
• RELAXATION: Try to make your rest related, for example, to nature or social gatherings and not to the next hours spent in front of the screen.
• RELATIONSHIPS: Live coverage will save you from addictions, make offline contact important and qualitative.
• DREAM: Give up the screen 1-2 hours before bedtime. Instead of an alarm on your phone, use an alarm clock so as not to bring the phone into the bedroom.
• ORGANIZATION: If your online working time exceeds the norm, set limits: this is especially important if you work remotely.
• ALTERNATIVE: Look for interests that are related to analog activities for which devices with screens are not needed.
• DETOX: Take a long break from technology once in a while. However, remember that if your daily life plan is absolutely not in accordance with the rules of digital hygiene, such a detox will be of little use. The most important thing is to implement daily good practices.
• CONTENT: Pay attention to what you “feed” your brain on the Internet - we are not always ready for ambitious messages, but in exchange for viewing short reels it is better to just put down the phone for a while and at least look out the window.

Although so much of our reality has become virtual, we still have the opportunity to implement practices that will serve our health - both mental and physical. For the above proposals, what counts is the method of small steps and the consistency that leads to a change in lifestyle.

 summary

Taking care of our mental, physical and social health requires the implementation of habits that allow us to balance our online presence with our offline life. Digital hygiene is not only a protection against punctures — it is also an investment in our well-being and future. Due to the changes that have occurred in technology, digital hygiene care is also a challenge to the work culture and our daily habits.

Sources:

1. https://www.gov.pl/web/cyfryzacja/czym-jest-cyfrowa-higiena
2. .https://dbamomojzasieg.pl/higiena-cyfrowa/
3. https://cyfroweobywatelstwo.pl/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Ogolnopolskie-Badanie-Higieny-Cyfrowej-2022_Raport.pdf
4. https://kompetencjecyfrowe.gov.pl/aktualnosci/wpis/krok-po-kroku-do-cyfrowej-higieny
5. https://www.wum.edu.pl/czy-dorosli-uzytkownicy-internetu-w-polsce-dbaja-o-higiene-cyfrowa