Social Connectedness as a Focus for Designing Technologies in Support of Mental Health

Abstract

Technologies designed for mental health often target an individual user's behavior change, social support, or clinical treatment. However, there are limits to the impact of interventions focused on the individual when mental health challenges are intertwined with broader, systemic issues. This paper describes a complementary approach for digital mental health: designing for the critical ties between individual and collective wellbeing, by understanding the subjective experience of social connectedness. We report an interview study focused on youth mentors in the city of Philadelphia, which was initiated by their desire to incorporate digital technology in reaching and supporting youth in their community. We analyzed youth programs as a form of promoting social connectedness to address mental health in response to the traumatic effects of community gun violence and socioeconomic distress. We identified five interrelated layers of social connectedness: intrapersonal, interpersonal, small group, large group, and cultural.