Social media platforms, virtual assistants, and other digital technologies affect human connection, emotion, agency, and identity. To address this evolving landscape, Aspen Digital hosted a series of workshops that brought together experts from various disciplines and domains with representatives from across the tech industry to critically examine responsible research and innovation in the context of well-being. The resulting report highlights the challenges and opportunities for various stakeholders, especially the tech sector, in pursuing responsible research and innovation centered on achieving a better understanding of the influence technology has on our well-being.

Loneliness is an innate condition. It is a shared emotion that all people experience to some degree. Sometimes paired with feelings of anxiety, fear, depression, and shame, loneliness signals the need for human connection. While most studies reporting on the topic prioritize industrialized nations, Loneliness in India offers insights into the similarities and differences driving feelings of loneliness in an emerging and developing country.

Our culture’s dependency on technology to work, eat, learn, govern, be entertained, and stay in touch underscores that digitally mediated experiences already profoundly shape our understanding of what it means to be human. To explore this deeply, Aspen Digital, with support from Pivotal Ventures, sought to reimagine how technology can shape the human experience and our sense of place.