--- title: "Stories From Experts About the Impact of Digital Life" description: "While many technology experts and scholars have concerns about the social, political and economic fallout from the spread of digital activities, they also tend to report that their own experience of digital life has been positive." date: "2018-07-03" authors: - name: "Janna Anderson" job_title: "Former " link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/janna-anderson/" - name: "Lee Rainie" job_title: "Former Director, Internet and Technology Research" link: "https://www.pewresearch.org/staff/lee-rainie/" url: "https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/07/03/stories-from-experts-about-the-impact-of-digital-life/" categories: - "Emerging Technology" - "Future of the Internet (Project)" - "Online Privacy & Security" - "Platforms & Services" - "Privacy Rights" - "Religion & Social Values" - "Social Media" - "Technology Adoption" --- # Stories From Experts About the Impact of Digital Life ## Table of Contents 1. [Stories From Experts About the Impact of Digital Life](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/07/03/stories-from-experts-about-the-impact-of-digital-life/markdown) 2. [1. The positives of digital life](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/07/03/the-positives-of-digital-life/markdown) 3. [2. The negatives of digital life](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/07/03/the-negatives-of-digital-life/markdown) 4. [3. Fifty-fifty anecdotes: How digital life has been both positive and negative](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/07/03/fifty-fifty-anecdotes-how-digital-life-has-been-both-positive-and-negative/markdown) 5. [About this canvassing of experts](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/07/03/stories-about-digital-life-about-this-canvassing-of-experts/markdown) 6. [Acknowledgments](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/07/03/stories-about-digital-life-acknowledgments/markdown) ![](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/9/2018/07/PI_18.06.22_DigitalLife_featured.png)Technology experts and scholars have never been at a loss for concerns about the current and future impact of the internet. Over the years of canvassings by Pew Research Center and Elon University’s Imagining the Internet Center, many experts have been anxious about the way people’s online activities can [undermine truth](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2017/10/19/the-future-of-truth-and-misinformation-online/), foment [distrust](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2017/08/10/the-fate-of-online-trust-in-the-next-decade/), jeopardize individuals’ [well-being](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/04/17/concerns-about-the-future-of-peoples-well-being/) when it comes to physical and emotional health, enable [trolls](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2017/03/29/the-future-of-free-speech-trolls-anonymity-and-fake-news-online/) to weaken democracy and community, compromise [human agency](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2017/02/08/code-dependent-pros-and-cons-of-the-algorithm-age/) as algorithms become embedded in more activities, [kill privacy](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2014/12/18/future-of-privacy/), make institutions [less secure](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2014/10/29/cyber-attacks-likely-to-increase/), open up larger social divisions as [digital divides](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2014/03/11/digital-life-in-2025/#less-hopeful-theses) widen, and wipe out untold numbers of [decent-paying jobs](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2014/08/06/future-of-jobs/). An early-2018 expert canvassing of technology experts, scholars and health specialists on [the future of digital life and well-being](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/04/17/the-future-of-well-being-in-a-tech-saturated-world/) contained references to some of those concerns. The experts who participated in that research project were also asked to share anecdotes about their own personal experiences with digital life. This report shares those observations. Specifically, the participants in the nonscientific canvassing were asked: *Please share a brief personal anecdote about how digital life has changed your daily life, your family’s life or your friends’ lives in regard to well-being – some brief observation about life for self, family or friends. Tell us how this observation or anecdote captures how hyperconnected life changes people’s well-being compared to the way life was before digital connectivity existed.* Many of these experts wrote about a number of powerful ways digital life makes things better. Some themes: [![A table showing postive and negative themes about the personal impacts of digital life](https://www.pewresearch.org/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2018/07/PI_2018.07.03_stories-about-digital-life_table.png?w=640)](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/07/03/stories-from-experts-about-the-impact-of-digital-life/pi_2018-07-03_stories-about-digital-life_table-png/) The remainder of this report draws from elaboration of these ideas by respondents who shared anecdotes and observations. It is broken into three chapters: 1) anecdotes and comments about the positives of digital life; 2) anecdotes and comments about potentially harmful aspects of that life; and 3) responses in which people’s statements or anecdotes were fairly evenly split with both pros and cons of digital life. Some responses are lightly edited for style. --- **Next:** [1. The positives of digital life](https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2018/07/03/the-positives-of-digital-life.md)