A new paper titled Unravelling complexities in digital wellbeing research has been accepted for publication in the Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society. The study examines how digital wellbeing can be more effectively understood by placing user centredness at the heart of analysis in this rapidly evolving field.

Through a critical synthesis of existing literature, the paper argues that digital wellbeing is shaped by users’ varying personal circumstances, by their subjective experience of time, and by the wider events unfolding around them. These dimensions suggest that digital wellbeing is not static, but highly contextual and dependent on how individuals perceive and interpret their own digital experiences.

The findings identify a number of methodological and conceptual gaps, opening up new opportunities for future research while also offering practical insights for the design of digital systems that better support wellbeing.