• “What makes me happy? The joy of seeing a finely written algorithm take fight and soar on its own. The joy of touching a screen and seeing the world, or at least, a room, light up.”
A friend living an hour and half by car from San Francisco took a large picture look at things, and the thought of how online car services and other systems brought happiness and improved the quality of his life:
• “New connectivity online tools have certainly helped facilitate some joyous occasions. Uber was life-changing. It’s probably difficult for people that live in a city with a functioning taxi system to understand what a giant shift Uber was in the Bay Area. I had stopped going out in San Francisco because trying to get a cab after the event made the whole experience not fun and not worth it. Uber gave that part of my life back to me. The other big ones for me are nav-systems, stub-hub, and couch-tour. Those have all helped make my life more joyous.”
A woman who is a serial entrepreneur, always on line and always working in the digital world, had a very refreshing take on the question:
• “I’ve spend a huge chunk of my life tied to a computer so it’s only fitting that it brought me my husband. Via j-date. I hear it’s now called J swipe, which I find hilarious!”
A marketing executive who takes care of an aging parent offered this:
• “More than happiness or joy, what it gives me is Convenience: being able to handle my mother’s finances remotely. Also, telecommuting; being able to give out only one phone number; blocking tracking cookies; asynchronous communications with friends; access information and entertainment on my schedule; an archive; and hopefully soon, proper telemedicine. I’m in charge of my time, my access, and the world’s access to me.”
A global traveler who recently relocated had this to say:
• “Facebook! When you move from a metropolis to smaller city, it can be hard to feel vital, outside of your hobbies. Facebook keeps me sane and happy. With it I can keep tabs on people, and the groups I’m in. I’ve made friends on Facebook groups; I think Facebook groups have replaced online forums. Facebook has become community. That brings me great joy, great happiness.”
A transplanted New Yorker offered this observation:
• “The NY Times crossword puzzle! I used to live in NY, I did it every day in the newspaper. It was a daily joy. I moved from NY, and back then a relative copied it and sent it, a pack of the week’s puzzles. Then the Times began an online subscription service for the puzzles. Now via the net, the puzzle is again mine to do every day. And whenever I want, whatever time of day. This brings me continued joy. And it’s a part of New York City, where I was born, like it’s not left behind.”
This fellow’s response summed up in one fell swoop what a lot of people had to say, in shorter replies:
• ”With my tablet or my phone Ebooks bring me joy as they fill the hours I’m driving or when I’m handling mundane tasks around the house. Then I can easily switch to a music app. It has made photo communication extraordinarily easy and fun. It’s really delightful not missing anything my grandkids do and say.”
With a slightly contrarian view came this response:
• “I love Facebook. I don’t share very much personal information, but I find it a great place to connect more with people who are almost-friends who I may see very rarely in real life, post and discuss links to interesting articles, and share interests with groups of like-minded hobbyists. I don’t know if it’s my curation, or my friends (almost all of whom I’ve actually met in real life), or what, but my newsfeed seems almost entirely free of the toxicity that seems to plague many other people.”
Very often the reply was not so much joy and happiness, but comfort and a sense of safety was the answer, a common theme. Many women spoke of having their cell phone on as they would walk home, or to their car at night, talking to someone so they would feel safe. And so someone would know exactly where they were. One person spoke of having a bike accident on a forest trail, and being fortunate that another person on the trail was able to summon an ambulance and to contact his wife to meet him at the hospital. Also discussed as less happiness but a source of security, of convenience and comfort, was having one’s calendar, one’s contacts, access to banking or shopping tools, texting or phone or email, on one’s person at all times.
Connectivity can mean never really being alone. A friend or relative, a contact or support, is always a few taps away. A website or the news or a sporting event or recap of the day’s sports, or a movie or replay of a TV show is often, if not always, available. While not always something that makes people happy, it does make people feel comfortable, safe and secure.
Maintaining contact is a major source of joy expressed by many. Relatives, old friends, schoolmates, work friends from past jobs -- connectivity enables continued communication. The Digital Strategy for Happiness would seem simple: keep a connected device on your person. A phone, a tablet, a digital watch, and you’re in touch with the world. And that can bring you safety, entertainment, travel, and all the information you could possibly want.