The SoReDI Chair participates in the Digital Health Conference on technology and mental health

Esade’s Chair of Socially Responsible Digital Innovation (SoReDI) participated in the Digital Health Conference, “Technology, algorithms and mental health: evidence, well-being and recommendations for use”. The conference brought together experts from various fields to analyze the impact of digital technologies on mental health and provide a critical look based on evidence and applied experience.

The opening session, moderated by Antoni Baena (UOC), was attended by Liliana Arroyo, director of the Chair for Socially Responsible Digital Innovation, with the presentation “Digital malaise: personal defect or corporate irresponsibility?”. It was stressed that the quality of social relationships is key to health, above other indicators. In this sense, the difference between being connected and being linked was pointed out, introducing the concept of “connected loneliness” to describe one of the central paradoxes of the current digital environment.

Her intervention also emphasized the role of design and algorithmic systems in the configuration of behaviors, questioning narratives that attribute discomfort solely to individual factors. Phenomena such as persuasive design, anthropomorphization of technology or dark patterns were noted as elements that reconfigure emotional and linkage dynamics. Faced with this scenario, Dr. Arroyo defended the need to move towards a pro-social view of technology, which shifts the focus of engagement towards belonging and meaningful relationships.

The day continued with the table “Designed for attachment: the use of dark patterns in videogames”, moderated by Joan Arnedo (UOC), with the participation of Gema Bonales (UCM) and Fernando Miró Llinares (Universidad Miguel Hernández), where the design mechanisms that encourage intensive use in digital environments were analyzed. Finally, the session “Persuasive Design and Ethics: the Responsibility of Software”, moderated by Manuel Armayones, addressed the role of industry and research in the construction of a more responsible digital ecosystem, with the interventions of Cristina Lidón and Andrea Villarán.

The day highlighted the need to move towards models of design and use of technology that prioritize the well-being, responsibility and quality of relationships in a digital context increasingly present in everyday life.