Born Digital: The Story of a Distracted Generation

by Robert Wigley

Our attention has been hijacked by the tsunami of devices, games and social media which now dominate our lives. This new technology brings efficiency, cost-savings and instantaneous information. But when our attention is the currency being traded by big tech firms, what price are we willing to pay for convenience?

Addiction, anxiety, depression, loneliness, low self-esteem, empathy development, troubled relationships, fake news, propaganda and even threats to democracy are just some of the challenges new technology presents. Antitrust law has failed to prevent the emergence of a few dominant big tech platforms and regulation has not kept pace with surveillance capitalism. The internet was created on the assumption that all users are equal, but children and the vulnerable are not.

In Born Digital, Robert Wigley distils the mountains of available research on the subject and brings to bear his wealth of institutional experience to present a roadmap for society to radically and urgently reset its relationship with technology - for the sake of future generations.

Genres: Nonfiction, Audiobook

356 pages, Hardcover

Published March 11, 2021

About the author

Robert Wigley backs young entrepreneurs in cutting edge technology businesses and Chairs UK Finance. He sits on the UK's Economic Crime Strategic Board chaired by the Home Secretary and the Chancellor. He spent a career in finance rising to be EMEA Chairman of Merrill Lynch and a member of the Board of the Bank of England during the 2008 financial crisis. He was Chairman of the Green Investment Bank Commission and wrote the seminal report Winning in the Decade Ahead on the future of London as a global financial centre for Boris Johnson when he was Mayor of London. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants, a Companion of the Chartered Management Institute, an Adjunct Professor at the University of Queensland, Visiting Fellow of Oxford University's Said Business School and an Honorary Fellow at Cambridge University's Judge Business School. He is an Officer of the Order of St John. Born Digital is his first book.

Reviews

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

Our reliance on some of the huge companies in almost all the things we do online is what makes this is a terrifying read. Their hold over us using some of the most sophisticated techniques around to keep us coming back every time our phone squeak at us. It is addictive and it is in those companies interest to keep us addicted too.

They seem to circumvent regulation too, claiming that they are doing all the things that are required to keep their users safe. However, they are not, as it is in their interests to keep us scrolling, clicking and making them money. The top engineering and neuroscientists who are making these apps against your willpower is hardly an even match so it is no wonder we are being subsumed into the online vortex so much.

Wigley includes a lot of information on how we consume our current digital diets. I don’t think we realise just how much time we all spend on screens of one form or another each day; it is quite shocking really. The way that the younger generation communicates is very different to how we used to do so, most of them have lots of messaging apps open and find the face to face communication far more difficult. Whilst an instant message may be easy to send, it is very easy to misinterpret a short pithy one-liner, something that is harder in front of someone as we pick up lots of visual clues from the person we are talking to. These modern apps are designed to be addictive, the amount of time my children spend on YouTube and Twitch is quite shocking. I use YouTube to listen to music a lot, but I am not watching the videos as it is on in the background.

This addiction is giving us what Barak Obama called an empathy deficit. It is not that we don’t care, but these devices are overwhelming us with their demands. We need that empathy as a society, it is the glue that binds us together. Companies providing the most addictive apps tend to aim for getting dopamine release that internal drug that you get from pleasurable moments. Experts are worried was this continual release of the drug is doing to our children’s brains. He explores how Generation Z is doing with regards to relationships and how the landscape of love and sexuality is changing. They are also changing the way we eat; the big brands are being nudged aside by this generation as they seek authentic companies to spend their money with; that is coupled with a greater environmental awareness that I think will change the political landscape in years to come.

I wouldn’t say I liked this book, Wigley talks about some very difficult subjects about the way that we interact with technology. However, I would say this should be essential reading for those that have children and who let them use technology to keep them occupied when you are doing other things. It has a clear structure to the book and he has obviously done his research well as he lays out his arguments on the positive and negatives of our device addiction and argues for the abolition of anonymity online which I had not really considered before. Well worth reading as it will make you think about how we use these devices.

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wigley spent a career in finance and is a father to three teenage sons. For two years, he learned more about their generation by meeting with 200 young entrepreneurs, one per business day. That combination of research and personal experience fuels his first book, Born Digital, which is about the unique challenges faced by Generation Z.

He found that, with young people spending an average of seven hours a day online, technology can exacerbate mental health issues, especially with the doom and gloom and lack of authenticity found on social media. Rather than making people feel more connected, technology tends to increase loneliness and reduce face-to-face interactions. Popularity and hook-ups are sought over meaningful, long-term relationships, while multi-tasking leads to an overall lack of focus.

This book brings up so many issues, including the potential for online surveillance and manipulation, and the problem of anonymity plus a failure to effectively verify users’ age. I’m still a smartphone refusenik because I want to carefully guard my time and attention, so I was particularly interested in the statistics and stories Wigley conveys about what it’s like for young people who have grown up with smartphones. This is a book I’ll be keeping on the shelf for future reference. It would of course be very relevant to parents and teachers, but I found it enlightening as well.

Originally published on my blog, Bookish Beck, along with a few-page excerpt.

[Jillian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bob spent the first 25 years of his career working directly in the banking industry, most recently as Chairman of Merrill Lynch in Europe. About ten years ago he was invited onto the board of the Bank of England, which included the turbulent times during the financial crisis. Following that, he moved into backing youngsters in the tech industry, an area he is passionate about and which led him in part to write this book. He is also chair of UK Finance, covering government, regulation, compliance and the prevention of economic crime. He is a part time lecturer and philanthropist.
One main reason Bob took such an interest in how technology impacts young people lies with his three adolescent children. Watching them grow up and interact with technology raised many questions for him, so much so that a couple of years ago he made a new year’s resolution to meet a GenZ entrepreneur every day. To learn from them.
This resolution morphed into a two-year project where he successfully carried out interviews and talks with a GenZ person every business day. In total he interacted with approximately 200 young people and these interactions formed the basis for this book.
“I learned a lot.”
COVID was also instrumental in this project. At the start of lockdown, his wife pointedly said he was to get out of the kitchen from under her feet and find something to do. He decamped to the dining room where he starred at the wallpaper for bit. And then it hit him. He knew he wanted to write this book. As soon as he formulated this thought, he began to sketch out chapter headings and found he had so much to say. He backed it up by reading and reckons he must have consumed more than 35 books on related topics and hundreds of academic papers. Then he began writing. His methodical approach is reflected in the end product which is 300 pages long with some 550 references.
At the heart of the book is Bob’s issue about balance. He positions big tech and their pursuit of profit over societal good. He doesn’t believe the balance is right and thinks we have been distracted as society and our attention hijacked by a tsunami of weapons of ‘mass distraction.’
Here is the conundrum of the digital age. Never before have so many people been influenced so directly by tech, but also never before have corporations’ profits been tied to societal good. Societal good is not often a yardstick held up to measure corporate profits.
There are a number of sticks to be used against big tech – one of which being they force us to look at things not of our choosing but theirs; or in other words they employ successful marketing campaigns and yes I did want that blue balloon and not the red pencil, both of which as it happens are totally necessary for my happiness.
Some 70% of parents are worried about their children’s online pursuits, and the subsequent increase over lockdown. It’s all about screen time of which we are all so heartily sick of at this stage. But as Bob points out, not all screen time is equal. Children and the vulnerable in society deserve a different quotient and therein lies the rub.
Social media and the tsunami of distraction began in earnest some ten years ago. At the same time, studies have found that adolescent happiness is in decline. Three quarters of 16 to 24 year olds believe that their generation is worse off in terms of happiness and mental health than the preceding generation. In fact, UK 15 year olds are one of the saddest and least satisfied groups in Europe.
“I find these statistics to be very depressing in themselves.”
Other corollarial studies show that GenZ is the first post war generation for whom social mobility is as likely to go down as up and that rates of anxiety, depression, self-harm and suicide roughly doubled between 2007 and 2017.
Can this all be laid at the foot of technology’s door? Of course not, but Bob traces trends in society that seem to run parallel with the rise of invasive technology, such as changes in family structures, less physical, communal activities, and even less eating together as a unit.
“I think Gen Z have been dealt a particularly grim set of cards but one positive to emerge is their resilience and their independence. They don’t expect to be handed pensions or even affordable housing – which is just as well as they are not on offer.”
Technology is encroaching on people at younger and younger ages. 30% of babies watch 90 minutes of screen time on a daily basis, 64% of one to two year olds watch more than two hours a day, and 42% of under eights have their own tablets. Moreover, slightly older children confess to being addicted to their devices. 62% of all eight to eleven year olds and 93% of 12 to 15 year olds regularly use a smart phone and have a social media account.
It gets worse. A third of all teenagers say they have been cyber bullied, while 20% of primary school children and 30% of secondary students have videoed live with a stranger; and 5% were asked to undress.
Gen Z spends more time on their devices than they do sleeping or studying. In fact, sleeping is detrimentally impacted by screen use and blue light, provoking calls that we are facing into a global sleep crisis.
Lockdown is not helping.
Bob presents these figures but has not thrown in the towel. Part of the worry – and also part of the solution – has been the speed of the change. The past ten years have radically changed the technical landscape with the regulatory controls lagging behind.
“We are at a tipping point.”.
Governments are slowly coming to terms with the fact they need to take action. GDPR is part of that process in the EU and Anti- trust laws are meant to offer similar protections in the US.
“Of course, that last principle is not working. It is questionable whether Facebook should have been allowed to acquire Instagram and WhatsApp, but there are moves afoot in the Biden Administration to readdress culpability, for example is reassessing who is responsible for content on a platform – the user or the big tech?”
In the UK, government is looking to directly address that last question with the proposed Online Harms Bill. This will be a world first where a statutory duty of care will be imposed on big tech with particular regard to the impact on children. Executives will also be potentially held responsible.
Bob also acknowledges that some of the top neuroscientists have worked on social media, designing the delivery of data and the dopamine in the most effective and addictive manner.
“Social media is not meant to serve us, it is meant to serve the platform’
The challenge for government is to force big tech into measuring the impact and then enforcing change. Another option is to police content on blockchain platforms, thereby ensuring content can be monitored without recourse to deletions or later alterations.
A side product of increased technology is access to online content, content that is generated by other industries, of which porn is a huge example. There is currently a porn epidemic affecting young people. Access to unsuitable adult materials to young brains can be incredibly damaging in terms of mental health and societal behaviour. The issue here is age appropriate access. How can platforms ensure age compliance and how can regulations police the compliance?
Porn is one issue, but online grooming a significantly more serious threat and one which age and identity compliance feature heavily in the protection of minors.
Staying offline is a challenge for most people. Bob brings up the general issue of responsible design. Sometimes the issue of personal responsibility is raised at this point but as Bob suggests, on one side you have an individual and the other 100s of the world’s top neuroscientists.
“It’s not really a fair fight.”
Aside from regulation, enforcement of social harm reduction and age access limitations, what else is in the armoury against these weapons of mass distraction?
Education of course.
“We teach our kids sex education at school, so why not internet or tech education. I believe this should be taught in primary schools and it should be compulsory.
“In fact, I think a lot of adults should be made do it too!”
Here Bob can quote another statistic in which 54% of teenagers suggested that parents would be a lot of more worried about their children’s online consumption if they knew what they were actually doing.
One question was raised about conventional marketing versus online attention grabbing – and which nullifies my blue balloon, red pen comment from earlier – if regular advertising was as addictive as online, then people would be hanging around outside shops when they were closed just checking out what was in the windows. Outside of zombie movies this is typically not a thing.
Yet, there we all are looking at our screens from the moment we wake up until we go to sleep.
Balancing the public good from free will also reverts again to age and vulnerability access. As an adult Bob argues it’s your choice if you wish to gamble, watch porn or sports 10 hours a day. A vulnerable child or person should not be afforded that choice. It gets more pernicious when considering self harm sites or eating disorder sites that actively support the visitors in their harmful actions.
There are technologies that are clever enough to assess ages – through a combination of biometric and coded requirements. If the harming site is on the dark web and has no intention of stopping access to the vulnerable, then the onus is on the prevention of ingress at the point of web access.
“Part of the education and protection will come from Gen Z themselves. I’ve witnessed young entrepreneurs come up with solutions much more nuanced and effective than anything a neuroscientist could develop.
“This is where we have to give control and support.”
Bob Wigley’s book, from which the statistics quoted in the article are drawn, is published by Whitefox publishing and is available from all major outlets.

[Susa · Rating 2 out of 5]

While informational, i did not enjoy the way this was written.

[Greg Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Illuminating for older folk and deeply important for 'Gen Z'

There are some excellent analyses on the content here already. My review reflects the personal impact Born Digital has had on my wife and I, and our families.

In my opinion Born Digital truly is essential reading, I would almost go as far as saying it ought to be mandatory for those wanting to reconnect with younger family members.

Having had the distinct pleasure of meeting Bob last year early one morning, I can honestly say that he is a really genuine chap, and he cares deeply about the plight of future generations.

I won't betray the format of our meeting however, I borrowed his example, and along with a copy of Born Digital it has aided my family immensely.
My wife and I have younger 'Gen Z' cousins, and there was an unfortunate common theme in our relations with them. We felt detached from them, and they did from us.

There is so much to unpack in the book, and with this topic generally however, I'd like to thank Bob for his work to provoke a much needed societal awakening.

Beat the algorithms! Get out, get moving, and re-establish the connection with the future of this planet.

10/10

[Kasandra · Rating 1 out of 5]

Most of the book is a regurgitation of predictable statistics, so it's not the most enlightening thing to read. It's hard to find value in this book when most of it is based on lines of thought that were inspired by the author's three male gen z children, and the conclusion is basically 'not everything is that bad but we should still try our best to limit screen time.'

I'm a 21-year-old Gen Z woman and there were several annoying things, the worst one was how most of these stats came from books about young men. Apart from the numerical stats, literally, anything else is from studies or books based on young men. It reminded me of this book about the alleged 'crisis of friendship,' which I found odd because I personally don't see that. In actuality, there's a crisis of friendship for men, and for some reason, this is generalised for the whole population. I don't see why a whole generation should be defined based on the activities of the male members. This is especially important here because of the gloomy gaming stats, and the culture of harassment around those communities, when it should be noted that this is mostly perpetuated by young men. A lot of young women game too, of course, but their gaming experiences are quite different and not included here. And this can really be explained by the fact that Wigley only has sons and didn't take a moment to think about how young women's habits can differ. Also, the takeaway that hookup culture is a pillar of Gen Zs' relationship dynamics was odd until I saw that he basically asked a bunch of boys from London and *shocker* they only want casual sex. Wigley showed some self-awareness because he pointed out that only boys in one area were surveyed, but still went on to say that this should roughly be the same for everyone elsewhere too. But really, all I hear from people my age is how much they hate hookup culture, so I feel like this was done poorly.

These sorts of books should really be written by sociologists, and the reason they're not making the rounds in that discipline right now is because Gen Z is simply too young. The oldest members haven't even hit their mid-twenties, and most of the generation hasn't even reached employment so I don't see how any conclusions can be gathered from an age group that is too young to even have marriage stats or stats about owning property. The most these books can do is predict, so they will be outdated soon anyway.

Lastly, I feel like this perverse interest in Gen Z is misplaced because, as the book can cover shows, there's a big interest in iPad children and those literally raised with a tablet or smartphone in hand. But most Gen Z had a childhood with no electronics - myself included. This is especially the case if you grew up with little money and could not afford even a gaming device, let alone a smartphone. The iPad child on the cover is really in the generation after Gen Z, yet here we are being muddled together. I feel like there are a lot more defining structural causes to the habit of Gen Z than internet use.

[Jeremy Walton · Rating 4 out of 5]

TV babies
I bought this after seeing it at a local book fair a couple of years ago, but have only just got round to reading it. Such a delay isn't usually significant, but it is in the case of this book. Published in 2021 and written during the Covid-19 lockdown, it's an attempt to capture the characteristics of Generation Z (usually defined as those born between 1997 and 2012), particularly with regard to the expanding technology of devices, screens and social media. Members of this group are described as "growing up with a supercomputer in {their pockets] connected to most of the world's population and knowledge" [p10]. The author was inspired in his quest by his three sons (aged 21, 19 and 13) - specifically, the time they apparently spend on their devices instead of "being present in the real world". The motivating example - which I guess is familiar to many - on p1 shows him trying to get them to log off and come to the table to eat lunch.

Extrapolating from his family, he's made contact with a variety of GenZ members - who are identified as things like "a social entrepreneur" [p37], "Oxford undergraduate and budding TV actor" [p41] and "teenage mental health campaigner, fitness model and influencer" [p52] - and tries to identify some general characteristics. He notes that GenZ has grown up in the aftermath of the financial crisis, the war on terror, the climate crisis and Covid-19, to which he adds what he terms a "fifth trauma" - the distraction crisis, engendered by social media and smart devices. His evidence for this includes the observation [p13] that China was the first country to declare internet addiction a clinical disorder, and - less exotically - a rise in short-sightedness which he links to increased time spent looking at (small) screens. He further notes that looking at a device before going to sleep confuses our bodies because the blue light from the screen indicates that the day is beginning [p28].

The author's subtitle labels GenZ as "the distracted generation", and he draws on the work of - among others - Nicholas Carr, who's explored how users of the internet (not just GenZ) "willingly accept the loss of concentration and focus, in return for the wealth of compelling [...] information we receive" [p37]. There's more to unpack in this area, including the ambiguity in text messages (compared to face-to-face conversations), as evidenced by the author starting a reply with the words "read this carefully" - which could mean either that he'd read a message carefully, or he was implying that his respondent had failed to do so [p39]. Discussing the use of social media platforms, he notes that "Facebook is where you lie to your friends and Twitter is where you tell the truth to strangers" [p44].

One of his concerns in this book is that children are now developing their identity in a world that's dominated by their internet interactions, rather than their encounters in the physical world with family and friends (to support this, he says - without attribution - that "Silicon Valley tech stars" control their children's screen time and often send them to tech-free schools [p101]). These interactions look like they're only going to get more difficult to resist - thus, on p135, he describes a company working on video that's "hyper-personalised" by incorporating personalized content (such as name, location and previous interactions), scraped from user data.

Although he initially focusses on the effects of excessive screen time on young people, he expands his view to take in changes in attitudes to work, sex, food, gender, religion, politics and other aspects of society. His observations about the effects of social media (and, to some extent, AI) here are relevant to all of us, not just the young. The effect of (covert) political information campaigns is compared on p195 to "an invisible radiation upon its targets; the population doesn't even feel it is being acted upon", a quotation from a Russian handbook on "Information-Psychological War Operations". Elsewhere, the work of content moderators (who have been viewed as the only mechanism preventing the spread of disinformation and disturbing content on social media) is discussed in detail, including the "negative effects on the mental well-being of those who do this difficult job" [p266]. The recent announcement of the change in Facebook's content moderation policy illustrates that this issue remains crucially relevant.

I found this a fascinating, stimulating read. Some of the points raised appear contentious, but the overall message is worth considering seriously, particularly for parents (or grandparents) who are watching their children set out in this ever-changing world.

Originally reviewed 31 October 2024

[Blair · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Born Digital” is a book about how “Big tech” has hijacked the attention of Generation Z (GenZ) and what can be done about resetting their/our relationship with technology.

The thing I liked most about the book was how the author summarised most of the recent thinking about how devices, games, and social media have captured our attention, and particularly the attention of GenZ. If you haven’t kept up to date with the great thinkers on the subject – Nicholas Carr, Tim Berners Lee, Sherry Turkle, and Tim Wu – then this is a good way to catch up.

That said, I didn’t really learn much that was new in the book as GenZ is a subject I study carefully, because it's the key target group of our firm, Snibble. We're producing a social video app that is potentially addictive. We truly want to “Do no evil”.


In summary, I found this to be a good read because it covered most relevant subjects, but not necessary a great read because it provided little news – at least for me.

P.S., After writing this brief review, I checked out a number of the other reviews on Goodreads. There was a very large number of 5-Star ratings, all around March 2021, but not many later than this. I’m not convinced these were not "friends" of the author. Judge for yourself as it seems odd.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Technology and technology companies are shaping our lives. Sometimes with positive effects and sometimes with negative, but always through a ubiquitous reach that permeates our lives. The biggest impact is on Generation Z, our true digital natives.

Our lives are always about trade-offs - the trade-off between the efficiency, entertainment and empowerment that mobile devices give us on the one hand, and the addiction, anxiety and occasional abuse that they can lead rise to, on the other. Are we trading off too much?

Born Digital reaches into the behaviours of the Z Generation and raises important questions for parents and policy makers. In particular, it calls for urgent, new rules to guide how societies deal with tech companies’ extensive reach into our lives at a time when we are all spending an increasing amount of time with digital devices.

I am delighted to be acknowledged by Bob in his book, it’s a must read for anyone concerned about the acceleration of the digital revolution.

[Alberto Busnelli · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘Born Digital’ is a masterful analysis of one of today’s greatest unspoken social issue: the effects of technology on the mental and physical health of the digital native generation.
Thanks to a deep understanding of both the human and digital side of the matter, Robert Wigley paints a vivid picture of Generation Zers’ dreams and fears, ambitions and anxieties. The contribution of numerous young voices - who bring a fresh take on the topics discussed - enhances the quality of the dissertation and gives the genuine opportunity to see the virtual world from unconventional points of view.
I would highly recommend this book to those parents who are interested in better understanding their children’s generation, although I am convinced that those who could benefit more from this reading are the same boys and girls to whom the work is dedicated. Indeed, to see reality from a perspective deprived of the filters imposed by the digital environment we live in is a rare opportunity everyone should savour and treasure.

[Tillmann Ziegert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good overview of topic with in-depth examples

The author writes in an informed manner about the challenges of digital technology. His broad professional and personal experience assists in highlighting the threats and some opportunities in Generation Z use of technology. The overall tone of the book is sceptical and highlights significant challenges such as attention disorder, lack of empathy, personalization of news, sexual relations, and bullying.
What is missing for me is more historical and sociological context. For example, to claim that polarization has increased is difficult to agree with: Religious wars, ideological murder, and class conflict have been much more prevalent in the past. Judy Wajcman has explained the problematic assumption of events speeding up, as well as highlighting specific gender roles within digital capitalism.
Despite this, the book is comprehensive and highlights specific challenges, and enjoyable read.

[Chris McGale · Rating 5 out of 5]

Born Digital is a 'must read,' thought provoking, review of the digital world and its impact on Gen Z kids (born mid-90’s to 2010). Things we believe we already have some sense of, are defined with forensic clarity in an 'easy-on-the-ear' narrative. From AI to VR, to social media platforms, Pornification, Regulation and Taxation. The author highlights concerns re child protection and abuse, and the turmoil that targeted fake news has on the global democratic system. Wigley, with a background in global finance and Government advisory, has some logical KYC-equivalent recommendations to replace the current 'self-regulation' of some of the world's most profitable companies; Client identification; Age verification and Fraud protection. To paraphrase the author, ‘would you allow the Government to mine your data the way some of the FANGs do?’ In a post-Brexit world, the UK has an opportunity to put people before profits - in the digital world. This book tells us why and how.

[David Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thought provoking, well researched, and timely analysis of the evident impact of modern technology and associated practices on the overall mental health and development of young people, which will be entirely relatable to anyone who has parented in the last 20 years.

More broadly, this text brings into focus the need for debate - among investors, governments and the technology companies themselves - on how best to balance shareholder returns with societal purpose and sustainability in this area. While certainly challenging in this latter respect, the author remains balanced in also recognising the positive effects that technology brings, especially in a post-pandemic world. Highly recommended.

[R · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve just finished Born Digital. This is the first time I have read a physical book since downloading Audible on my IOS device.

Similar to picking up a pen and writing a heart felt letter (rather than emailing or texting) holding a hard back book caused me physical pain, but then emotional relief and satisfaction of doing something meaningful.

And for me Born Digital is meaningful, full of fact based analysis, insight, legislative considerations and day to day examples that forces us to consider deeply how we spend our time and our impact on others.

Like any quality read you will feel challenged but the big question is does it make a difference. I will certainly be changing my day to day behaviour for my own and others well-being.

[Franciszek Jemiol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Robert Wigley’s book Born Digital is an indispensable read for every young person. Each page is rich with information, creating a stark image of how we use technology. It inspires the reader to take a look at their own interaction with it, bringing to light its dangers and limitations. As a Gen-Z reader, the book could not be any more relevant to the current world, and our lives as we grew up. Furthermore, it is made even more important with the intensification of technology use after Covid-19. It was interesting to read this book alongside ‘Flow’, by Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi, making me realise that what Robert Wigley calls our ‘distracted generation’ may be missing out on Csikszentmihalyi’s ‘optimal experience’.

[Aoife Brennan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved, loved this book. A really vigorous understanding of what is happening with the weapons of mass distraction on people, especially on young people. A funny stat- some 64% of young people said that if their parents really knew what was going on online they would be REALLY worried!

Balancing the opportunities of big tech profits against societal needs - it's not a competition but it is necessary.

The last ten years have just been crazy - to understand how crazy you need to read this book. If you are a parent, you need to read this book. If you are a young person ...then you'll know this stuff anyway!

[Luca Manicone · Rating 5 out of 5]

In Born Digital, Robert Wigley brings his wealth of institutional and digital experience to guide the reader along an eye-opening experience that raises infinite questions about the effects technology and digitalisation have on the well-being of ‘Generation Zers’, the future of our society.

What makes this ‘shout from the rooftops’ a unique, must-read masterpiece is undoubtedly the author himself. Robert has spent large portion of his life working for and managing widely-recognized institutions, gaining exclusive and interesting insight from a range of governments, corporations and start-ups in any imaginable sector.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who is curious to see the world of today from Robert’s glasses, which make it easier to comprehend the drastic social change that is occurring right under our noses and recognize the need to reset our relationship with technology.

[David Toplas · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really interesting book that helps us understand how fast the world is actually changing and gives insight to the bubbles of life experience that Digital Natives live in- and shines a mirror back at you.

You hear about Gen Z and maybe witness it - this boo takes you inside the mindset and attitudes of Digital Natives.

Just as you know why you no longer get interesting post via snail mail - so you will see how you are being left in your own backwater of ways you think and communicate.

Read it - yes it is available in a format for us - and enjoy the best book I have read for years.

[Connie Baxendell · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a younger person reading from a GEN Z perspective, this book is a highly thoughtful, essential and poignant read. It’s analysis of one of the greatest social issues, of the impacts of technology on mental and physical health, has particularly increased my own self-awareness, encouraging me to reconsider how I use and engage with social media itself. The book is highly accessible, and neatly unpacks the rich wealth of research that deals with the subject of technology and social media. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book - it is a highly provoking read that demands introspection of readers.

[Denis Tomanov]

In his book, Robert Wigley depicts the true nature of the digital world which has conquered the 21st century. Adults appreciate the advantages of technology as it makes their lives easier and gives them time to focus on more ‘important’ tasks. However, they have to stop and contemplate about the future of younger generations which can be easily manipulated due their limited experience with the hostile world of our times. Hence, by reading this book, people can reflect on their online experience and start asking questions regarding data protection, anonymity as well as how safe is the online environment for adolescents.

[Ludolf Schöning · Rating 5 out of 5]

An eye-opening and fact-based story about the dangerous impact digital technologies have on my generation. I am still reading the book, but have already become more aware of how I dedicate my attention and use my smartphone.

I hope this book, together with the Netflix film, "The Social Dilemma" will act as a wake-up call for parents, regulators, tech companies, and fellow members of Gen-Z to become more aware that our attention is being hijacked DAILY, and how this negatively affects our social and love life.

I can not thank the author enough for highlighting this global "attention crisis" as I think too few people talk about it. The suggestions for change and improvements outlined in the book are urgently needed.

[Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bob addresses some serious concerns about the impact of where technology (in its current unrestrained form) might lead humankind.

He has taken the time to look at the cost devices and social media have already had on many of our lives and recognises there is an unfolding tragedy occurring. However, he seems to accept with the knowledge and understanding that there are 2 sides to every coin and considers a positive path forward.

This is an honest and heroic masterpiece many significant global leaders are actively pondering.... What happens next?

[Iggy Jemiol · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was recommended this book by my older brother. Being three years his junior, made for an interesting comparison in the slight differences in the way in which we grew up with technology. Interestingly, our age differences meant no change in our technology habits, spending a similar time on similar apps. Wigley’s book is a great collection of information, studies and stories which made us both revaluate the way we use technology for the better. It is packed with information, covering a whole range of relevant topics from social life to tips on how to reduce technology use.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wrigley offers a wonderfully insightful reflection on the digital age and its implications on our mental and physical health. Such an important and timely subject, intricately researched and passionately discussed, this makes for fascinating reading for young and old, for those immersed in the digital universe and for those who it has passed by. Thoroughly recommended for anyone interested in the immense impact of social media and technology on all of our daily lives, which is too often taken for granted!

[Max S · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book Bob - very well written, incredibly interesting and, most importantly, really eye-opening.

For those of you who are parents, young ones, government officials, teachers or business execs you ought to read this book, to educate yourself and others.

We're in a digital war, with Gen Z on the front line. COVID has recalibrated long term screen-time and Bob has raised significant issues on bullying, online surveillance, shareholder returns, sexual relations and more.

[Daisy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the written form of "The Social Dilemma": if you loved that, you will love this. Wigley writes an interesting perspective of the dangers of social media for Gen Z, both emotional and physical and the lasting impact it is already having on the technological generation. The inclusion of young peoples perspectives and voices gives this book an edge I've never seen before, allowing generations to begin a dialogue surrounding these new times.

[Sophie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a must read for the young, who do not fully know the dangers of their own digital world, as well as for the older generation who will find this to be an informative window into the reality of Gen Z. Important ethical questions such as tech corporate responsibility are raised, shedding light on the complexities of what we might simply perceive as technological improvement. Reminded me of the excellent documentary: “The Social Dilemma”.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a Gen Z myself, I found Born Digital not only informative but also eye opening. I thought that Wigley’s analysis of the effects of technology on my generation was incredibly apt, and has since made me re-evaluate my own relationship with the online world. I especially thought that his critique of digital monopolies was Interesting as it was a subject that i previously hadn’t looked into, but now look forward to exploring further.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have really enjoyed reading this book by Robert Wigley. It is an important reminder of the of the good and the bad of social media and access to technology. As a parent myself it has made me think long and hard about the age at which our children should be allowed access to certain devices and the amount of time they should spend on tablets, PlayStations or phones.

[Annabel Milnes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed reading Born Digital which discusses some of the most crucial questions for our generation on the effects that too much technology usage can have our lives and the lives of future generations. A very informative and important read that is thought provoking and will make you reconsider the way you live your life.