The word "Welcome" atop a background of various flowers

Expect magic - and chase it!

We are the Center for Digital Thriving, a new research and innovation hotspot housed at Project Zero at Harvard Graduate School of Education. We’re on a mission to create knowledge and research-based resources that will help people - especially youth - thrive in our tech-filled world.

There’s magic in the work that we can do together - and we’re officially inviting you to join us. This is our very first message to you and the 1,430 others who wanted to stay connected with us since we launched last year. We view this as the beginning of a powerful journey to transform society’s relationship with technology.

So, how can we begin thriving with technology? Let's start by upgrading our conversations about tech in 3 ways.

# 1
Acknowledge that our experiences with tech are multifaceted

Tech can be both helpful and harmful, connecting and dividing, exhausting and energizing. Having a one-sided perspective is flawed and can cause others to shut down. Discussing the range of our experiences with tech can make conversations more honest, supportive, and productive.

# 2
Use more
textured
metaphors

It’s common to compare tech to cocaine or tobacco. This captures a part of what many of us feel – but it doesn’t account for the good that tech can offer. How about we try a car metaphor instead? When cars were first introduced, they transformed the world. As the risks began to appear, so did various safeguards - thus, speed limits, seat belts, and driver’s ed were born. What if we regard our society as in the early days of using digital technology? What would “seat belts” on cell phones be? Read more.

# 3
Don't talk
about tech
first

Actually, some of the most helpful conversations about technology and well-being don’t begin with tech at all. They start with who we are, what we value, and what we’re experiencing in our lives. Ask questions like “What do you value most right now?” then “How’s tech helping or hurting you live out that value?" Read more.

Pivoting conversations about tech in these ways can lead to new insights, promising solutions, and deeper bonds. We consider that magic! So, let's chase it.

To new beginnings,
Center for Digital Thriving

P.S. “Expect magic - and chase it” is one of our team’s community agreements that we recite at the beginning of every team meeting. It affirms our belief that magically wonderful things constantly await us. And when they finally appear - pursue them with passion!

The Center for Digital Thriving is a research and innovation center based at Project Zero at Harvard Graduate School of Education. Our mission is to create knowledge and research-based resources that help people – especially youth – thrive in a tech-filled world.

Join us on our nascent socials for updates. 🌱