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Digital Wellbeing in Cyber-space

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Digital Wellbeing in Cyber-space

This course examines the intersection of cybersecurity and human wellbeing in an increasingly hyperconnected world. Students explore the psychological, behavioural, and social risks of digital life including technostress, cyberbullying, algorithmic manipulation, disinformation, and online toxicity alongside the foundational security practices needed to protect personal digital environments.

Main Topics
  • 1. Introduction to Digital Wellbeing and Cybersecurity:
  • 2. Cybersecurity Basics for Personal Protection
  • 3. Threats to Digital Wellbeing
  • 4. Social Wellbeing in Cyberspace
  • 5. Digital Addictions and Algorithmic Manipulation
  • 6. Mental Health, Burnout, and the Always-On Culture
  • 7. Designing for Security and Wellbeing
  • 8. Social Media, Misinformation, and Emotional Resilience
  • 9. Human Factors in Cybersecurity
  • 10. Ethical Futures: AI, Surveillance, and the Human Mind
  • 11. Organizational Cybersecurity and Employee Wellbeing
  • 12. Personal Digital Wellbeing Strategy and Reflection
  • 13. Intervention Design Workshop

The General Competences that students should have acquired include:

  • Adapting to new situations
  • Decision-making
  • Working independently
  • Teamwork
  • Working in an international environment
  • Working in an interdisciplinary environment
  • Production of new research ideas
  • Project planning and management
  • Respect for difference and multiculturalism
  • Showing social, professional and ethical responsibility and sensitivity to gender issues

Based on the above, upon completion of the course, students are expected to be able to:

  • Assess digital-behavior risks (technostress, cyber-bullying, algorithmic manipulation) using evidence-based frameworks.
  • Design behavioral-change interventions and UI nudges that promote safe and healthy digital habits.
  • Evaluate the psychological impact of cybersecurity policies on employee wellbeing.
  • Facilitate workshops that build digital-literacy and critical-thinking against misinformation.
  • Apply human-factors research methods (surveys, diaries, A/B tests) to measure digital-wellbeing outcomes.

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

  • Define and contextualize the concepts of cybersecurity and digital wellbeing, explaining their interrelation and societal importance.
  • Apply foundational cybersecurity practices to protect personal digital environments, including password hygiene, secure authentication, phishing detection, and safe browsing.
  • Critically assess psychological and behavioral risks to digital wellbeing, such as technostress, burnout, cyberbullying, and algorithmic manipulation.
  • Analyze the impact of digital interactions and social media use on emotional and social wellbeing, including issues of identity, disinformation, and online toxicity.
  • Demonstrate digital literacy and critical thinking by identifying online threats, evaluating digital content for bias or manipulation, and responding appropriately to risks.
  • Examine the role of human behavior in cybersecurity incidents, including how human error, cognitive bias, and emotional factors contribute to vulnerabilities.
  • Debate ethical concerns surrounding AI, digital surveillance, data use, and the impact of emerging technologies on mental health and privacy.
  • Assess the impact of cybersecurity policies on organizational culture and employee wellbeing, and propose strategies that balance protection with user experience.

Develop a personal digital wellbeing action plan, incorporating sustainable digital habits, resilience techniques, and cybersecurity awareness.

Students will be able to:

  • Integrate security and wellbeing objectives into organizational strategy and product design.
  • Lead multidisciplinary teams (User Experience-UX, Human Resources-HR, Security) to cultivate a humane and inclusive digital environment.
  • Advocate for ethical technology adoption, balancing innovation with mental-health considerations.
  • Critically appraise emerging tech (AI, XR) for psychosocial risks and draft governance recommendations.
  • Communicate complex human-centric security insights to technical and non-technical audiences.