Cisco and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) have unveiled the Digital Well-being Hub, an initiative designed to study the complex relationship between digital technologies and individual well-being.
“Digital well-being isn’t one thing; it’s multifaceted and interconnected, requiring a holistic understanding to responsibly navigate the AI era and beyond,” said Guy Dietrich, Cisco’s Senior Vice-President and Chief Innovation Officer. “But we’ve never fully examined technology’s impact on our well-being across various aspects of everyday life such as education, health and jobs.”
The Digital Well-being Hub aims to explore how digital transformation affects people’s lives by collecting insights on life satisfaction, mental health, digital skills, cyber safety, civic engagement, climate consciousness and social connections. It combines real-time evidence from individuals with existing OECD data to provide a comprehensive view of digital well-being.
“Through the Digital Well-being Hub, we will hear directly from people to better understand the interplay between technology and life that can inform new decisions and policies, and spur action to improve outcomes for people,” said Romina Boarini, Director of the OECD Centre for Well-being, Inclusion, Sustainability and Equal Opportunity (WISE).
Existing research indicates that 40 per cent of adults in OECD countries lack basic digital skills, potentially hindering their ability to navigate digital environments safely, including understanding digital privacy and the mental health implications of online activities. Additionally, more than half of workers in these countries are concerned that AI-related data collection could result in biased decisions against them.
The collaboration with the OECD is part of Cisco’s Country Digital Acceleration program, a global co-innovation platform aimed at powering inclusive communities and resilient economies.
“Connecting global populations through shared experiences presents an uplifting vision, but also an important call to action on behalf of the 2.6 billion people who still lack access to the Internet,” said Francine Katsoudas, Cisco’s Chief People, Policy and Purpose Officer. “We must commit to narrowing this gap as the first and most fundamental step to global well-being in the digital age.”
Over the next several months, Cisco and the OECD are inviting people worldwide to contribute their experiences via the Digital Well-being Hub. The OECD plans to analyse these responses alongside existing research to provide a more holistic view of digital well-being in 2025.
