America is concerned about technology. The Senate is moving forward with AI legislation, the House is probing social media platforms over political extremism, and polling continues to show widespread skepticism about Big Tech’s impact on our daily lives.
It might seem like the sky is falling, but hope can still be found — in American citizens themselves. This includes the supposedly vulnerable Generation Z and other young adults, who are using their freedom and agency to solve the digital problem themselves. We aren’t just helpless victims of algorithmic manipulation waiting to be saved by the government or Big Tech, even in the age of artificial intelligence.
The narrative that social media is harmful to individual and societal well-being assumes we are passive victims of our digital environments. This overlooks the fundamental fact that we have agency, the power to direct our own lives.
Every time we open a social media app, we face choices. Do we seek content that challenges our thinking or reinforces existing beliefs? Do we carefully consider the validity of information before amplifying it? Do we respond to disagreement with curiosity or contempt? And of course, no one is forcing us to use social media at all.
Fortunately, even though the public is often painted as powerless against Big Tech, most Americans actually recognize their ability to self-regulate their digital lives.
In a nationally representative survey of over 2,000 U.S. adults, our team at the Archbridge Institute’s Human Flourishing Lab found that 86% of Americans believe that they have the ability to control their online engagement. And many are acting on their belief in personal agency to improve their relationship with technology. According to a 2024 Deloitte survey, 83% of Americans are actively setting boundaries around their digital activities. This includes putting phones away during family time and seeking more meaningful real-world engagement.
Continue reading at The Dallas Morning News.
Clay Routledge, PhD, is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) at the Archbridge Institute, where he also leads the institute’s Human Flourishing Lab. As a thought leader in existential psychology and human motivation, Clay translates research into practical insights that help people reach their full potential, build meaningful lives, and advance human progress and flourishing. Dr. Routledge received his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He is co-editor of Profectus Magazine, an online publication dedicated to human progress and flourishing. He writes the weekly newsletter "Flourishing Friday."
Psychology of Flourishing
America is concerned about technology. The Senate is moving forward with AI legislation, the House is probing social media platforms over political extremism, and polling continues to show widespread skepticism about Big Tech’s impact on our daily lives.
It might seem like the sky is falling, but hope can still be found — in American citizens themselves. This includes the supposedly vulnerable Generation Z and other young adults, who are using their freedom and agency to solve the digital problem themselves. We aren’t just helpless victims of algorithmic manipulation waiting to be saved by the government or Big Tech, even in the age of artificial intelligence.
The narrative that social media is harmful to individual and societal well-being assumes we are passive victims of our digital environments. This overlooks the fundamental fact that we have agency, the power to direct our own lives.
Every time we open a social media app, we face choices. Do we seek content that challenges our thinking or reinforces existing beliefs? Do we carefully consider the validity of information before amplifying it? Do we respond to disagreement with curiosity or contempt? And of course, no one is forcing us to use social media at all.
Fortunately, even though the public is often painted as powerless against Big Tech, most Americans actually recognize their ability to self-regulate their digital lives.
In a nationally representative survey of over 2,000 U.S. adults, our team at the Archbridge Institute’s Human Flourishing Lab found that 86% of Americans believe that they have the ability to control their online engagement. And many are acting on their belief in personal agency to improve their relationship with technology. According to a 2024 Deloitte survey, 83% of Americans are actively setting boundaries around their digital activities. This includes putting phones away during family time and seeking more meaningful real-world engagement.
Continue reading at The Dallas Morning News.
Clay Routledge
Clay Routledge, PhD, is Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer (COO) at the Archbridge Institute, where he also leads the institute’s Human Flourishing Lab. As a thought leader in existential psychology and human motivation, Clay translates research into practical insights that help people reach their full potential, build meaningful lives, and advance human progress and flourishing. Dr. Routledge received his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Missouri-Columbia. He is co-editor of Profectus Magazine, an online publication dedicated to human progress and flourishing. He writes the weekly newsletter "Flourishing Friday."
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