Worried about the digital age? Relax – tech experts are worried too

We all worry about the effects of living in a digital age, but what are the top concerns amongst technology experts and scholars? The Imagining the Internet Center at Elon University, North Carolina and the Pew Research Center in Washington, DC canvassed a group of experts, and they seem to have similar concerns to the rest of us, including the negative impacts of social media: narcissism, clickbait, trolling and propaganda, which may lead people to adopt a negative world view.

However, it’s not all doom and gloom. Four themes emerged around the positives of digital life: feeling connected, the power of digital tools, access to life-saving information, and having internet shopping and other services at our fingertips.

Paul Saffo, a Silicon-Valley-based technological forecaster said: "At the end of the day, the two of the three highest human desires are the desire to be useful, and the desire to share stories. We have been doing both since our distant ancestors sat around a savanna camp fire sharing their days and their dreams. Now, thanks to digital media, the circle around the campfire has grown to encompass (if we wish) all of humanity."

[ pewinternet.org/2018/07/03/stories-from-experts-about-the-impact-of-digital-life/ ]