Humans + Technology: Embracing the Intersection for Mental and Emotional Wellness

As humans, it is in our nature to seek community when we are in times of struggle. Community to evaluate our experiences, affirm our feelings, and ultimately resolve that struggle. For a lot of people this can look like reaching out to a friend or family member; for others it can be a trusted professional — and for decades those have been our options, especially in the context of our mental and emotional wellness. We have leaned into these forms of human connection to understand and respond to our mental and emotional well-being for so long now that it has created a natural path of problem solving, with very little change in course, until 2020.

When we think of the year 2020, the first thought for many is the COVID-19 outbreak; understandably so, as the pandemic highlighted disconnect and uncertainty about the systems that we built to keep us safe. We were left questioning almost all of our social systems, particularly our health, education, employment, and policing systems. Some of us experienced these systems with varying degrees of support, and too many of us were directly harmed (even more than before) by these systems that were built to keep us safe and healthy. This shift in our experiences automatically altered our perspective on who we reach out to, when we need support, and how we get it so that we feel valued and safe. Enter the era of wellness apps.

Wellness Apps

There are more than 10,000 mental and behavioral health apps available today according to several online sources; however, that number has not been thoroughly examined across all platforms. This number hit an all-time high in late 2021, as people were seeking technology to fill a void of in-person human connection. These apps range in quality and evidence-based support and are now running alongside influencers across social media.

However, as a social scientist, this examination of the market is not the point. This piece of technology as a means of providing mental and emotional support is no different than the formation of churches, schools, hospitals, community centers, concert venues, and public parks. It is just a slice of how we create things in our society to create community, to engage in our desire for belonging. The way we have created this technology has not been to log in and talk to ourselves about ourselves. Rather, we have built them in a way that connects us to someone (whether it’s a chatbot or a human across town) so we can evaluate, understand, affirm, and act from that connection. So given this foundation, why would folks still be concerned about these pieces of technology, if they are just meant to replicate something we are already working to achieve anyway?

Techno-Human Intersection 

Perhaps because these apps are starting to challenge the traditional ways that we have used to build human connections. We have, somehow, sometime, agreed that human connections are meant to be in person, with the small exception of the telephone — and that is a requirement for the success of our society. This is something that people in tech are constantly trying to disrupt. Technology has opened up so many global opportunities and has stretched the ways we ask questions, take in information, and build relationships, which has made a huge impact on how people live their lives, especially across the younger generations of our societies. This is seemingly positive, a pro-technology perspective, but yet people still are experiencing challenges with their mental and emotional health, despite the thousands of apps at their disposal. We may also wonder how technology is impacting rates of loneliness and social isolation, now and in future generations. This points to a gap that I argue may not be filled with more technology, but possibly an evaluation of the intersection that now exists between technology and humans.

As someone who has been trained to examine social behavior and now spending my professional energy at a practical bioethics center, I find myself living in this gap every moment of every day. As someone who has built technology, I say time and time again that I want technology to support humans, and I am often excited at the prospect of it. However, I have also observed that whatever we create as a tool to help us survive and thrive must be respected as one part of the human experience. I know I’m getting a bit “armchair-philosopher” here but hang on with me for a second. Let’s ask ourselves, do we want technology to be an all-inclusive solution to our mental and emotional experience? I would guess that most of us want technology as an option but also want to improve the systems where we need humans too.

Inside the Gap

So now might be a good time to think about some ways that we can act inside this gap to create mental and emotional wellness, given that humans and technology exist within that experience. I have a few questions to ask yourself but have divided them into parts based on your experience. You may find yourself scrolling to a section that seems applicable to your lived experience, but I recommend you read all of them as they may be questions you may not ask yourself today but might be on your mind tomorrow.

As someone who is seeking mental and emotional support:

• First, look at how you use technology. If you follow influencers on social media apps, what is it in that person that you can relate to? Do they look like you? Share your same culture/beliefs/values? Do they have the same symptoms and/or diagnosis as you? Have you felt affirmation and/or positive feelings by observing or interacting with them?
• Now ask these same questions about other technology you might use, like chatbots, virtual coaches, and other tools that don’t have a human-to-human interface.
• Lastly, when do you feel that you want a human connection? In those moments do you seek out a human connection (like a friend, a loved one, a therapist, a support group)? If not, why not?

 As someone who is developing (or developed) mental and emotional support technology:

• First, look at how technology connects with humans. Does it help a person understand their symptoms? Does it help them diagnose themselves? Does it offer guidance on behavior change and/or social support?
• Now put your community hat on. Does technology create community? If so, how? Does it encourage human-to-human connection? If not, why not?

As someone who is a provider of mental and emotional support (influencers this includes you too):

• Look at how you connect with people you support and serve. How are you sharing your experience, your expertise, and/or your guidance? Do you follow a certain philosophy, methodology, or practice? If so, do you share that with those you support? If not, why?
• Are there moments that you encourage technology over human-to-human interaction? If so, when?
• Do you have a way to create community with the folks you support? If so, how and when do you engage that?

 Building New Trust

In closing, these questions are meant to be an exercise in understanding who you are and who you want to be inside this human + technology world we now live in. When we think about the connection between mental and emotional wellness and technology it is important that we continue to examine the human component and the technology component that is at play. The human component has multiple layers and is experienced differently by each person. Some may be seeking to understand something or some feeling that is completely taking over their life in a challenging way, and others may be wanting to understand why they feel a certain way in a very specific context (like their heart racing before they have to talk during a work meeting).

Before technology, we had to build trust and community with humans, and technology has created a path that can operate in a space where we may not experience trust and community with humans. Neither time can be deemed fully effective, so we may have a distinct opportunity to look at how we build trust and community with both in mind, no longer independent of each other.

By Lindsey Jarrett, PhD