In 2020, my phone's screen-time report
reached an all time high, at a total of 13 hours/day.
I felt really guilty...Turns out, I'm not alone.
Many of us are struggling with this behind screens.
It's an alarming public health concern.
First, to gather evidence of this common behavior,
I teamed up with 7 photographers from 4 countries
to create this documentative digital collage.
For 6 months, with our smartphones we paradoxically captured evidence of the lack of social interaction we experienced in public spaces while others were focused on their phones. This project raised my awareness on how widespread this behavioral problem is
and its negative impact on us everyday.
What happens next?
What's the reason behind this behavior?
Time to dive into research.
To find out exactly how much time people were spending on their smartphones daily, I sent out a quick 2-min online survey.
In just 2 weeks, I received a total of 157 responses! Seeing this as a strong indication of concern, I began to initiate conversations with people from this survey to better understand their individual stories behind similar digital habits.
4 methods
Google Survey
- gauged interest
- listed closed questions
- asked open questions
- visualized quantitative data
- gathered qualitative data
- recruited interviewees
Google Sheet
- centralized data
- categorized user groups
- highlighted key insights
- contacted interviewees
- kept track of contacts
Zoom Call
- reviewed their answers
- listened to users' stories
- observed subjects' emotions
- noted down patterns
- asked for referrals
Scientific Studies
- cross checked findings
- read about behavioral psych.
- collected helpful statistics
3 key insights on
our screen-time
Gen-Z's dilemma
This age group sits in the highest screen-time usage category. All their social, academic and personal activities are connected to their smartphones. Making them feel impossible to turn away from their screens.
Avg. of 6 hours
46% of the survey respondents spend about 1/4 of their day on smartphones. This amount is consistent across people aged
18-60 and various geographical locations. All answered they desire and have attempted to reduce their usage.
4 revealing answers
Yesterday...
1) After I woke up, I _____.
2) In the afternoon, I _____.
3) In the evening, I _____.
4) At night before bed, I _____.
By gathering quantitative and qualitative data, I was able to identify
5 common unhealthy digital behaviors
shared across 72 people with the average
of 6 hours spent on their smartphones.
In the illustration series below, the 5 harmful habits are characterized as animal traits to help us easily recognize these behavioral patterns shared amongst us. Each one is paired up with a healthier alternative to encourage us to redefine our relationship with these sticky habits.
The main purpose of this project is to communicate with everyday smartphone users and empower them with small and achievable steps to reclaim their intentions when engaging with technology.
Countdown 1 - 5 ⬇
① Chicken 🐓 vs. Wolf 🐺
Bombarded with texts?
Text messaging has become a rally of notifications
like two chickens pecking at each other.
⚠️ Statistics reveal text messages Click-Through Rates (CTR) is at 95%. SMS messages are opened and responded to within 3 minutes of being delivered.
Pause, before responding.
When texting, communicate with intent to connect your thoughts like two wolves howling together in harmony. It's not a speed test, it's a conversation.
② Squirrel 🐿 vs. Dog 🐕
Say no mo' to FOMO!
Log out and head out! Notice what stimulations you’re really missing beyond your screens.
③ Parrot 🦜 vs. Owl 🦉
Consumed by fake news?
Reacting and commenting on fake news actually accelerates its spread around our network, what you retweet repeats.
⚠️ Studies reveal when the news aligns with their beliefs, 56% of Facebook users can’t recognize fake news.
Calmly scan the sources.
Review trending news through multiple sources. Discontinue the spread of misinformation by disengaging with unreliable viral content.
④ Panda 🐼 vs. Dolphin 🐬
Stuck binge-watching?
When streaming alone, it's easy to over-consume content leaving you more tired than feeling recharged.
⚠️ Survey shows 88% of participants said they have missed sleep to watch multiple episodes of TV/video streaming series.
Share e-drama with friends!
Host movie nights and invite your friends! This way, you’ll enjoy a healthy dose of leisure time together.
⑤ Sheep 🐑 vs. Cat 🐈⬛
Kiss goodnight to tabs!
The less is on your screen, the less is on your mind. Close your tabs. Make room for a clear and calm headspace.
Fun surprise for you!
Which animal are you?
Find out based on your current habits.
Take this 1 min quiz 🥚
Share your results with me! I'm Curious George and would love to know.
Special thank you to everyone who participated in this 1-year long passion project. 💜
Couldn't have completed this without your trust and willingness to share your personal experiences, struggles and stories with me.
I hope in return this inspires you and more people to take back control of our screen-time one small reaction a day!
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