Digital Detox Challenge



Punkt. is a relatively small, dynamic and independent company, and we want to preserve close connections with our clients and with individuals and organisations within the style world. As part of this, we frequently run 'Punkt.Challenges'. These consist of design obstacles that form part of postgraduate style courses, and digital detox difficulties where self-confessed smartphone addicts are welcomed to revisit their relationship with technology.
10 years back, smartphones were still very uncommon. Now, a life lived outside the framework of the smart device is unusual. 10 years back, the majority of people had smart phones, but they would usually only attract our attention if another person had chosen to call us or send us a text. Now that many people's lives are a lot more automated: the new regular is to scamper around within a continuous onslaught of status updates, push alerts and a great deal more.
Our Digital Detox Challenges have actually been running since 2016. The unfavorable aspects of mobile phones weren't extensively discussed at that point, however there has actually because been a rise of interest in the subject. Participant reports are a crucial element of the Detox Challenges; by running the Challenges and releasing these reports we intend to keep the discussion of people's relationship with innovation popular and on-going - both in terms of tech addiction and the value of high-quality design in the genuine (i.e. non-virtual) world.

The huge distinction this time round was that the term 'mobile phone dependency' had clearly gone into typical parlance - in 2016 it still sounded a bit over the top, however in 2018 people were beginning to sound really stressed. You can check out the reports listed below, but here are some excerpts from a few of the many applications we received:
" The constant scrolling."
" I attempted it with an old traditional phone, it was like going back to an ex - with all the old pros and cons. Who does that?"
" We utilize our phones a lot - why shouldn't they be gorgeous in addition to practical?"
" I'm doing my own variation now, however I needed to go for a broke ass burner phone that's 10 years old ...".
" As a UI designer for digital items I've typically questioned a few of the success criteria utilized in my market, particularly 'engagement' as a metric for success. Until that changes, regrettably it's extremely challenging to combat against 100s of designers who are attempting to hook you in to their products. [] There is a specific irony about this as I design for these products but wish to avoid them. But I believe it's an opportunity for me as a designer to value how valuable our attention is, and attempt to take that lesson back into my market, ideally to influence a change in method to technology.".
" I have actually started getting rid of all my social networks profiles and have right away noticed the positive effect it's had on me. I am a lot calmer now, and I want to keep it that way, by also eliminating my smartphone for excellent.".

Life is too brief to keep our heads down.
Technology has significantly altered over the last century, from being a helpful tool in our lives to keeping us as connected in as much as it can and for the longest period of time. This Challenge modifications that in its whole, pressing us into understanding what is going on. I've constantly enjoyed using the latest things, however since Punkt. has actually been around, I wanted to alter that, and with the Digital Detox Challenge, that's exactly what took place. When you go from a constantly ringing mobile phone to a phone like this, you realize just how much you can sacrifice all these applications that keep you hooked all day: you don't need them.
In a method, you do end up being type of apart socially from your buddies-- let's state if they "Snapchat" you or whatnot-- but you begin to realize that it's for the much better, and the Punkt. MP01 achieves just that. It teaches you simpleness and teaches you that you do not need whatever on your phone. Simply the fundamentals.
If you seem like you are hooked on your phone, like many individuals I have actually met, it might be a great time to provide this phone a shot. A lot of my own member of the family experience this feeling and I seem like passing this challenge on to others so they can get the hang of it. This Challenge has actually become so essential in 2018 because-- as I stated-- Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and so on are here to keep us hooked in for the longest time. Don't believe me? Download QualityTime for your Android and you will understand that you do not even take notice of what's going on around you. If you feel an itch, it may be an excellent time to get that took a look at, and a great method to set about it is with the Punkt. MP01.

The more time we invest looking at screens, the lesser daylight becomes-- and in some cases, yes, more of an obstacle. Whether you're inspecting your messages while strolling to work, enjoying your smart device with your friends (who are each delighting in theirs), or viewing a film, daylight is a hassle.
We started heading this way because we wanted to. Nowadays-- to a large extent-- we simply do it because we do it. And because others want us to do it.
Is this really how you wish to spend your time in the world?
* * *.
In 2016, Google worker Tristan Harris left his job to discovered a brand-new non-profit organisation called Time Well Spent, which looked for to expand the argument on what innovation is doing to us and caused the development of the Center for Humane Technology. Ever since, the subject has actually exploded into the mainstream and it has ended up being clear that it is refraining from doing excellent things to our basic sense of wellness.
The house page of the Center's website includes a striking montage image. A generic graphic of a smartphone is combined with a picture of a female. She is not presented as being on the screen. She remains in reality looking out from the phone, leaning with her arms folded on the bottom edge of the screen as though it were a windowsill. She appears delighted, taking pleasure in the view. And she is bathed in sunlight.
Possibly it makes good sense to use these brighter nights for something aside from taking a look at pixels? And when bedtime techniques, matching sundown with a digital sundown: whatever changed off, leaving just a land-line with a number understood only to household and close good friends, and a devoted alarm clock.
Joining those who have ditched their smart devices totally, combining a fundamental phone with a laptop or tablet (much much better for typing on). Nowadays these concepts may sound nearly extreme, however as far as biology is concerned, they're exactly what your brain desires. The medical side-effects of tech over-use.
Since of the evident decrease in traffic mishaps, Daylight Saving Time is stated to increase life span of a nation's citizens. Ditto banning phone use while driving, of course (with a much clearer causal link). Phones threaten in other ways, too: scrollers strolling into traffic, selfie trophy-hunters taking one risk a lot of, etc. But over-use of tech diminishes our lives in another way as well-- incrementally and inevitably. It offers us a narrower existence where we are less focussed, less rested and therefore less awake. Over-use eats our lives, and it's ending up being the norm.
Time for a rethink?

Do you find that any place you go, you always wind up in the same location: in front of your smartphone? Using it, or letting it utilize you, to stay 'connected'? Connected with exactly what individuals are up to back home. Linked with the most recent news reports. Connected with work. Linked with video games, YouTube videos, Wikipedia. Gotten in touch with photos from the last holiday you took, and the one prior to that. What sort of 'connection' is that, actually? This situation is something that's approached on us, and perhaps it's time to begin making some choices ...

A vacation is a chance to turn off, to experience new things. If we don't also switch off our devices, if we continue to outsource our consciousness to image sensors and memory cards, if we're still attached to what we were doing before we left and what we'll be doing when we get back, it's as if we're paying a kind of vacation tax. Part of the experience is subtracted-- and not to help the regional economy, however to assist line the pockets of investors of social media companies.
Picture a traditional travelogue like Jack Kerouac's On the website Road, minus this tax. There wouldn't be much left. And even if we're looking for something a bit less intense for our fortnight away, the concept still uses. Whether it's a case of pings on the beach, or livestreaming from the Louvre, something's gotten however something's lost. And on the subject of getting lost, yes, without a mobile phone it could happen. And possibly you'll wind up someplace that turns out to be the highlight of your journey. Maybe you'll discover some intriguing restaurant that isn't really on tripadvisor.com. You may end up speaking to some locals. Absolutely nothing ventured, absolutely nothing gained. This connect the growing sluggish travelmovement, and the reclaiming of overland travel as a mainstream and realistic option to flying, demonstrated by the underground success of The Man in Seat Sixty-One. It's all about existing.
If we do decide to have a vacation that does not revolve around processing huge data, there are a couple of options. We can go to the other extreme, and leave house without any sort of phone or tablet. (That never ever used to be a severe, but we reside in extreme times.) And we have alternatives like changing our gadget's settings to 'minimum', leaving it in the hotel safe throughout the day, etc

. Or we can take a various phone. One that only does calls and texts. Then immerse ourselves in a different culture, have some experiences, or just take pleasure in a little bit of solitude.
The physical act of switching phones goes deep. It's a bit like flying the nest. And it's beginning to get in appeal: whether a low-cost, old-tech design or something more elegant and updated, opting to in some cases use a basic phone is something that everyone can associate with nowadays. They might not do it themselves, however they certainly understand why some people do.
There are practical advantages, too. Only having to charge your phone periodically is popular with everyone but if you're going someplace without mains electrical power, your greedy smart device will be no use at all. Likewise, with a basic phone you don't have to keep examining that your digital factotum hasn't cunningly discovered some way of adding monster-sized information roaming charges-- it can still happen. But it's the 'in fact being there' that truly counts. Sure, travelling without a mobile phone will indicate a couple of mix-ups, a reduced ability to plan, to know ahead of time exactly what's going to take place. However taking a trip sans algorithms is where the action is. And the screens on simple phones are often much tougher than the large areas of glass found on their more complicated cousins. Replacing a broken smartphone screen is a hassle at the very best of times; multiply that by ten if you're abroad.
But it's the 'really existing' that really counts. Sure, taking a trip without a smartphone will mean a few mix-ups, a reduced capability to strategy, to understand ahead of time what's going to occur. Travelling sans algorithms is where the action is.

SMS 03 - Punkt. MP02 from Punkt. on Vimeo.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *