Tagged With "Technology Use"
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Re: Problem Gaming Q&A with Elaine Uskoski (May 6-7, 2021)
Very informative. Thanks for sharing your knowledge with us!
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Re: Problem Gaming Q&A with Elaine Uskoski (May 6-7, 2021)
Thank you to all of you who posted questions over the past two day and thank you again Elaine for taking the time to join us online for this Q&A . Please note that if you are reading this after 5pm on May 7, 2021 this Q&A discussion is now closed. We asked Elaine where people could connect with her and find out more about her work: Website: https://eyespyhealth.ca/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shedd...videogamingaddiction LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elaineuskoski/...
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JGI Special Issue Now Available! The Converging Worlds of Gambling, Video Gaming and Technology Use
Editorial A few months ago, the Journal of Gambling Issues ( JGI ) announced that it was opening its doors to papers on other behavioral disorders and in particular to papers on video gaming. Video gaming is a rapidly growing industry that attracts a worldwide audience and therefore a worldwide impact, but few journals that specifically focus their attention on video gaming. According to a quick internet search, the worldwide video gaming industry is valued at $151.06 billion US in 2019 and,...
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Webinar reminder: Problem technology use in adults on June 17th!
For those interested in how problem technology use affects adults, GGTU is hosting a webinar next Thursday June 17, 2021 from 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM EDT! Dr. Mark van der Maas, Rutgers University, will be presenting new research during this webinar titled, 'Problem technology use in adults.' For more information about the webinar, please visit the event page in this COI's content stream and register here . This webinar is accredited by the Canadian Problem Gambling Certification Board and the...
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Book recommendation: 'The Shallows: What the internet is doing to our brains' by Nicholas Carr
For those of you interested in the ways technology affects our brain and behaviour, I highly recommend ' The Shallows: What the internet is doing to our brains' by Nicholas Carr . A new 2020 edition of this book has been published and it summarizes a lot of the key literature and thinking on how the internet has changed our attention and memory processing. I've been thinking and writing a lot about deep, focused work - which can feel like a lost art some days when we feel like we're being...
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Webinar archive and replay: Problem technology use in adults
If you missed the engaging webinar on June 17, 2021 called 'Problem technology use in adults' presented by Dr. Mark van der Maas of Rutgers University, please check it out in GGTU's archive! This webinar focuses on a recent study of problem electronic device use among Ontario adults and encourages reflection on how much time we spend on our devices. To view this webinar and accompanying slides, please visit GGTU's Trainings and Webinars archive page and select the Archive tab.
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Re: 'Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now'
Interesting post! I will check out this book. Although I know I'm not personally ready to delete all my social media, I have consciously reduced engagement with platforms such as Facebook over time and also have felt the benefits. I have my doubts that we will see a social media-free future, especially as we navigate through a new reality where a continued or new pandemic(s) may threaten ability to gather and travel for long stretches of time. Social media provides easy ways of staying...
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'Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now'
The Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma argues that the social media platforms we use to stay connected are making us miserable, disconnected, and potentially having a much wider impact on the socio-political landscape. The documentary received both praise for its engaging content but also received its fair share of criticism for perhaps being, at times, unbalanced in its views (and for not including individuals who have been campaigning for humane and ethical technology long before the...
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Re: 'Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now'
@Registered Member - the arguments aren't necessarily what you might expect (like improved wellbeing, sleep, etc.) the book focusses more on the impact of those algorithms on our ability to have empathy with others or be critical of news sources (argument #3 - 'social media is making you into an a**; #4 - 'social media is undermining the truth; #9 'social media is making politics impossible'). The author is a computer scientist and futurist so I think he's really arguing about how these...
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Re: 'Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now'
I'm wondering what some of the arguments in the book are? I'm in a weird boat, where, I never got popular social media like FaceBook growing up (despite the peer pressure to do so) but grew up with everyone around me having it. I always felt that, even a decade ago, it was odd to put up your communications with everyone to see it vs. individualized messaging or communities (like specialized forums). I felt that amongst different friend groups, family members or work colleagues - they knew me...
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New Offering: Introduction to Problem Technology Use
Introduction to Problem Technology Use is a five-week facilitated course (16 CEU’s) which provides a basic overview and knowledge on important topics related to problem technology use with a focus on problem gaming and problem social media use. Topics will include general overviews, risks, assessments, treatment options, and current issues. In the final week (December 6-10, 2021), learners will work directly with a simulated patient to practice what they have learned during the course...
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Cybersickness: Emerging thoughts and research
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to an increase in screentime for many of us, including how we work, shop, socialise etc. With this rise in screentime, some of us are beginning to experience negative physical effects such as nausea, headaches and eye strain. Cybersickness is receiving increasing attention from researchers and the media as tech continues to develop. This article from The Converation describes Cybersickness as the following: " Cybersickness refers to a cluster of symptoms that...
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User testing survey - Self Management App for Recovery from Gambling
Justice and Equity Lab, MAP Centre for Urban Health Solutions, St. Michael's Hospital Our lab is creating a self-management app for problem gambling called SPRinG (Supporting People Recovering from Problem Gambling). The SPRinG app is currently being developed to help, first and foremost, persons experiencing poverty and homelessness self-manage their problem gambling and other complex needs by providing people with constant access to support through their smartphone. The app will also...
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App User testing - Supporting people recovering from problem gambling
Hi everyone, A research team at St. Michael’s Hospital has been working with the community to design and develop a self-management app to help people in their recovery from problem gambling. We are entering the user testing phase. The purpose of user testing is to help inform the next phase of app design. We are asking people to answer a 16-question survey. We would greatly appreciate it if you could share the survey link ( https://redcap.utoronto.ca/surveys/?s=CYPWHAAJCHHRCK9D ) with people...
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In the news: (CBC) Ford government could lose $2.8B over 5 years in online gambling bet, confidential report warns
A CBC article published today outlines how the Ontario government could lose up to $550 million in annual revenue with the arrival of the online gambling market in Ontario ($2.8 billion over the next five years). The projections, outlined in a private and confidential report to one of Canada's largest gaming companies, suggests that the province is set to lose money due to individuals spending more money on online gambling and moving away from land-based casino gambling (the taxation rate is...
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[Online workshop opportunity, March 10th 2022] Fundamentals of gambling and gaming: Effective assessment and treatment planning
The Gambling, Gaming, and Technology Use team is offering a facilitated workshop: Fundamentals of gambling and gaming: Effective assessment and treatment planning on March 10th from 13:00 to 15:00 hours EST. This training is best suited to newly qualified clinicians as well as students who are currently working directly with clients, however, successful completion of the Fundamentals of Gambling and Gaming (FUN-GG) course is a prerequisite. FUN-GG is a short, self-directed course that...
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Webinar Replay! ‘Swipe Sesh’: Exploring the Impacts of Dating Apps on Mental Health among Adults
On February 10, 2022, GGTU kicked off part 1 of a new webinar series called The Impacts of Digital Technologies on Mental Health and Addictions . This series will feature 3 standalone yet interconnected webinars, each taking on a different topic in relation to technology use and mental health and/or addiction-related impacts. Part 1 featured Dr. Treena Orchard (Western University) presenting engaging new content called, ‘Swipe Sesh’: Exploring the Impacts of Dating Apps on Mental Health...
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Webinar Today - Registration is free! ConnexOntario (Discover Mental Health, Addiction and Problem Gambling Services): A brief history and overview.
So much has transpired in mental health and addictions over the last two years during the COVID-19 pandemic and there is much to learn from our colleagues at ConnexOntario. Anne Counter, Director of System Navigation and Information Services will be taking us through the history of ConnexOntario, providing us a refresher of their services, as well as sharing current data in regards to trends specific to gambling and technology use. We will also learn about the impact of COVID-19 on the...
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Supporting African Caribbean Black (ACB) Women with Gambling Concerns: A Best Practices Guide for Professionals – A wonderful collaborative article and a must read from the team at Jean Tweed and their project partners.
As February comes to a close with us celebrating and honoring Black History Month , we are only mindful at GGTU to ensure we send out a tribute to the Jean Tweed article, spearheaded by Angela Allen. This well written guide needs to be shared within our community since it shines a light on their wonderful research and helps us better understand and support African Caribbean Black (ACB) women with gambling concerns. After a thorough literature review and survey being conducted, the results...
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GGTU Training Needs Assessment
The Gambling, Gaming and Technology Use (GGTU) program at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health creates training products and resources for clinicians working in the area of addictions and mental health. We would love to hear from you about how we can serve your training needs better. Your participation in this survey helps us continue to deliver high-quality products and support. This survey should take approximately 5 minutes and will remain open until Thursday March 24 th at 5 p.m.
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EENet Connect wants to hear from you!
It is that time of year again and we would like to hear from you! What do you like about EENet Connect? What do you want improved? By providing us with your feedback, you can help us make the platform more useful and easier to use. The deadline for completing the survey is April 1st, so we hope to hear from you soon! The link to the survey is: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/EENet_Connect
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The Common Sense Census: Media Use by Tweens and Teens, 2021-22
Common Sense Media have published their annual report from a large-scale, national survey of U.S teens and tweens on their media use habits. The report compares media use by teens and tweens before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. Within the report, the authors present some recommendations for caregivers and parents as well as policymakers about healthy and safe media use for young people. Below are some key findings from the report: Media use in tweens and teens has grown faster since the...
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Re: Social media companies could be held accountable for their negative impacts on children
Curiously following what is going on in the States with social media apps aimed at children and teens... it's a rare issue that seems to get bi-partisan support and traction! The UK is rolling out similar legislation too. This was an interesting article where TikTok and Snapchat in particular were being targeted in the US: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/0...arental-control.html . I think that companies putting the onus on parents with parental controls is a partial solution but also they need...
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Ontario is moving quickly to approve online gambling operators.
Ontario just added private operators for online gaming beginning on April 4 but is already ahead of many US states in terms of the number of approved operators. See article: Ontario Has More Approved Online Gambling Operators Than Most US States
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Social dilemma
The documentary called Social dilemma perfectly depicts the situation of problem technology use in the society now. - It interviews the designers of different social media platforms on how they design the app - It depicts how social media platforms are designed to gain our attention and changes our behavior - It provides ways for us to minimize the influence from social media apps
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Is Social Media Hurting Your Mental Health?
Is Social Media Hurting Your Mental Health? | Bailey Parnell | TEDxRyersonU - YouTube This video focuses on how social media can have long term impacts on our mental health when our usage of it goes unchecked. Bailey Parnell talks about how the content that we consume on social media can cause us to compare our day to day lives to others "highlight reels" on social media, even when other people are individuals that we know. Understanding how these experiences of comparison affect individuals...
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Re: Anxiety, loneliness and Fear of Missing Out: The impact of social media on young people’s mental health
I really liked this article, I think it is an interesting time to be discussing these topics while still being somewhat consumed by Covid restrictions and the world just opening back up to us. I think we can all agree anxiety, loneliness and fear, of missing out have all been very real feelings experienced by almost everyone over the past 2+ years, has social media had any positive effects on anxiety, loneliness, and fear of missing out while young people have been essentially stuck at home.
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Current topics in PTU - Video from WHO
https://theconversation.com/digital-addiction-how-technology-keeps-us-hooked-97499 The above link briefly explores how technology is designed to "keep us hooked." There is a video included from the WHO. This article/video gives a brief explanation on the effects of problem gaming and the criteria for recognizing PTU. They place a focus on the difference between problem gaming disorder, and gaming behaviour. The speaker states how problem gaming disorder can only be diagnosed over time by a...
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Re: Health effects of gaming
You mentioned something that is key in all conversations we have with individuals. Listening to learn about the individual's motivation which in turn leads to varied behaviours. When we gain insight to a person's motivation, whether it is for behaviour modification or otherwise, it helps us as professionals to provide person specific care. Curious, what are your thoughts about the percentage of Americans affected by internet disorder? How do you think Canadians compare?
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Re: Health effects of gaming
This article has fairly recent (2021) stats on prevalence around the world but doesn't separate Canada out from a larger study that included the US, UK, Canada and Germany which showed the same percentage as the above article. Iran apparently has the highest rate and in Korea it is considered a public health crisis. Video Game Addiction Statistics 2021: Is the World Addicted to Video Games? | Healthy Gamer
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Autism, PTU, and Video Game Therapy
Article Jiménez‑Muñoz, L., Peñuelas‑Calvo, I., Calvo‑Rivera, P., Díaz‑Oliván, I., Moreno, M., Baca‑García, E., and Porras‑Segovia, A. (2022). Video Games for the Treatment of Autism Spectrum Disorder: A Systematic Review. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (2022) 52:169–188. Accessed May 23, 2022 at https://link-springer-com.proxy.library.upei.ca/content/pdf/10.1007/s10803-021-04934-9.pdf How It Relates to Gaming Video game-based interventions were effective in alleviating...
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The Association Between Video Gaming and Psychological Functioning - Journal Entry
Journal article - https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01731/full 1. I think it is easy for us to fall into a thinking trap of "all gaming is bad" or that there are no benefits of gaming. This article sheds light on some of the positives of gaming. 2. Researchers did find a medium-sized relation between potentially problematic video game use and poor psychological functioning with regard to general psychological symptoms, maladaptive coping strategies, negative...
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Is Social Media Harming Us? Or Are We Harming Ourselves?
Is Social Media Harming Us? Or Are We Harming Ourselves? This is the question posed by Farzana Qasimi in her TEDTalk "The Dark and Light of Social Media" found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OGjBgonFJYU In 12 short minutes, 16-year-old Qasimi makes a number compelling points to further explore who is at fault for how social media impacts our mental health. Qasimi notes: Social media websites were not created with the intention to lower anyone's self esteem, and Social media platforms...
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Commentary - Chinese Video Gaming Policy
The article discusses 1) alleged ineffectiveness, 2) alleged Draconian-ness, and 3) emerging evidence of identifiable benefits. Read on if interested in these aspects of the policy! See article attached.
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Re: Commentary - Chinese Video Gaming Policy
The article discusses 1) alleged ineffectiveness, 2) alleged Draconian-ness, and 3) emerging evidence of identifiable benefits. Read if interested in these aspects of the policy. Reference: Xiao, L.Y. (2022). Reserve your judgement on "Draconian" Chinese video gaming restrictions on children. Commentary on: Draconian policy measures are unlikely to prevent disordered gaming (Colder Carras et al., 2021). Accessed June 3, 2022 at https://www.researchgate.net/p...er_Carras_et_al_2021 (pasted ...
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Re: Join us for this Webinar - We are SPRinG’g into action to help the gambling community. Launch of the SPRinG App - A digital health solution to support self-management of problem gambling.
With the main discussion being on mental health and apps, please register for this webinar to know more about how to self-manage gambling issues and concerns. Join us for the launch of the SPRinG App, see how technology can actually help ease these concerns.
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Re: Phubbing
Wow! This is interesting. I totally agree that using a phone when with someone is like not being fully present. Many of us do this without thinking of the impact of a seemingly trivial action. We do this with other things too, like eating and scrolling, etc. We live in a distracted and multi-tasking world. No judgment but there are implications. We are never fully present in whatever we do and go through all of life never being fully present and then come to the end of life, and wonder where...
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GGTU launches new digital newsletter
Gambling, Gaming and Technology Use has launched a new digital newsletter on our new GGTU website . We also have an online digital assessment survey . We want to hear from you about the topics we should be focusing on, and the types of resources and digital products we should be offering in the year ahead.
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Upcoming Webinar - June 23rd: Launch of the SPRinG App. A self-managing tool for problem gambling/gaming
Quick and friendly reminder to ensure you saved a spot for an upcoming webinar: Join us for this Webinar - We are SPRinG’g into action to help the gambling community. Launch of the SPRinG App - A digital health solution to support self-management of problem gambling. | Gambling, Gaming & Technology Use Community of Interest | EENet Connect
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Re: WEBINAR: The Impacts of Digital Technologies on Mental Health and Addictions Series, Part 3: Bridging the Digital Divide to Optimize Health Outcomes and Experiences for Youth
Thank you Tara Marie for curating such a informative series!