Grounded in research from academics in a wide range of disciplines, Hidden Harms seeks to shed light on the growing societal issue of digital addiction. From computerized office work to AI “companions” and online games for children, the book strives to define and deconstruct these new forms of obsession, compulsion, and desire.

Split into four parts, the book begins with an exploration of the terms "internet addiction" and "digital harm", pointing out how misuse can contradict, sensationalize, or oversimplify these concepts. It moves on to hidden harms of digital technology use, revealing how these harms are often intentional and a result of hidden commercialization or gamblification. Next, the book considers the impact of labor on digital addiction, connecting modern capitalist exploitation to addictive digital habits. Finally, the book provides actionable interventions to the digital addiction problem, reimagining the future of digital engagement.

Ultimately, readers will better understand digital addiction and harms, as well as how anthropological perspectives can play a critical role in future debates and legislation.

Joseph Tulasiewicz is founder and chair of UK-based Addiction Anthropology Research Network. In this capacity he recently co-organized one of the largest workshops on the anthropology of addiction in a decade.

Suzana Jovicic is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Vienna, specializing in digital and psychological anthropology. She is co-founder of the Digital Ethnography Initiative and serves as a co-convener of the European Network for Psychological Anthropology.

Xin Zhan is a teaching associate in the sociology of media and culture at the University of Cambridge. Her research investigates how digital technologies shape care, well-being, and social inclusion, drawing on anthropology, media studies, and science and technology studies.