ABSTRACT
More and more of our communicative experience depend on some kind of interactive device or digital service. Furthermore, the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) is not limited to the long hours that we spend at the office. Our free time, too, has been increasingly colonized by technology-mediated experiences delivered through smartphones, tablets, and other personal wearable devices.
However, understanding the full extent of this new trends and its implication for our well-being, requires an interdisciplinary approach that integrates the scientific principles of positive psychology into the design of e-experiences that foster positive change. positive technology is an emergent field within human computer interaction that seeks to understand how interactive technologies can be used in evidence-based well-being interventions. It’s focus of analysis is two-folds: at the theoretical level, positive technology aims to develop conceptual frameworks and models for understanding how computers can be effectively used to help individuals achieve greater well-being. At the methodological and applied level, positive technology is concerned with the design, development, and validation of digital experiences that promote positive change through pleasure, flow, meaning, competence, and positive relationships. The chapter will introduce the concept of positive technology presenting different practical examples of the concept.
