New Research: Are Well-Being Apps Harming Us?

https://foundation.mozilla.org/en/blog/new-research-are-well-being-apps-actually-harming-us/

by truegoric • 2 years ago

13 1 2 years ago

foundation.mozilla.org

Despite employers’ and tech companies’ protest to the contrary, mental well-being in a workplace is not something that can be solved just with an app.

I agree with this. But as usual I feel like these studies point the blame at the wrong target. Certainly companies that try to sell well-being as a gamified lifestyle brand are cynical, and companies that try to dominate their employees' lives and offer these health perks as token replacements for work-life balance are not excused from exploiting those employees. However, as far as I know, nobody is requiring people to use these apps, or to keep using them if they're causing harm. You mean to tell me people are voluntarily turning to these well-being apps, and it's making them feel worse, and they're still using them? If a behavior isn't helping, stop doing it. I'm not saying its 100% on the users, but as beings with agency involved in a complex situation, I think it's odd to leave their choices out of the explanation entirely.

New Research: Are Well-Being Apps Harming Us?

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