A mobile application built to assist users in subverting unintentional social media use – and instead, restoring that time for personal growth.
The Problem.
The average Australian spends upwards of 2hrs on social media a day.
(that’s roughly a whole month of screen staring per year)
No matter how ‘social’ 2 hours online can be. I think there are still better real world alternatives.
And so do young demographics.
The Research.
I discovered that those aged 18-29:
- are the most frequent users of social media.
- favour apps that are driven by short-form content (Tiktok, Instagram, Youtube).
- find social media to be more distracting than older ages (30+).
- gave an average response of 80% agree to “I should consider reducing my social media use”.
But why not just delete it?
> > > > > people want and need connection.
SOLUTION
Get individuals to continue connecting online in a way that is both healthy & intentional.
Drawn on the writings of Nora Young who says that online, we are constantly seeking new content, always eager for the next ‘hit’. She promotes the idea that “…the healthy self is centred in what is actually happening and that a life perpetually on the lookout for the next is fundamentally not a life spent grounded.” (2012, p. 89).
The app endorses this language of ‘grounded’ and terms such as ‘drift away’ to illustrate how scrolling displaces us from reality – how it disconnects rather than connects. “…We struggle to deeply engage with anything when we’re always on top of everything” (2012, p. 89).
According to Young, tools work best when they remind and reward us while also prompting their use at the exact time we need to reinforce behaviour (2012, p.23).
The prototype champions these notions prompting the user to think about their intentions of opening social media at the very moment they tap the app…
In these moments of friction, the app;
- proposes alternative activities they could do instead of opening.
- requests input of their intentions for utilising the app.
The app can then
- reassess these intentions with the user after a selected time.
- check-in to encourage self-reflection on the user’s well-being.
- update the user about their current time scrolling.
