Punkt. is a fairly little, vibrant and independent business, and we like to keep close connections with our consumers and with people and organisations within the design world. As part of this, we regularly run 'Punkt.Challenges'. These consist of design challenges that form part of postgraduate design courses, and digital detox challenges where self-confessed smart device addicts are welcomed to review their relationship with technology.
10 years back, mobile phones were still very uncommon. Now, a life lived outside the framework of the smart device is unusual. 10 years back, many people had mobile phones, however they would typically just attract our attention if another human had actually decided to call us or send us a text. Now that many people's lives are a lot more automated: the new regular is to scurry around within a continuous assault of status updates, push alerts and a great deal more.
Our Digital Detox Challenges have been running since 2016. The unfavorable elements of mobile phones weren't extensively discussed at that point, however there has actually because been a rise of interest in the topic. Participant reports are an essential component of the Detox Challenges; by running the Challenges and publishing these reports we intend to keep the conversation of people's relationship with technology popular and on-going - both in regards to tech dependency and the importance of top quality style in the genuine (i.e. non-virtual) world.
The big difference this time round was that the term 'smart device addiction' had plainly entered typical parlance - in 2016 it still sounded a bit over the top, however in 2018 people were beginning to sound truly stressed. You can check out the reports listed below, but here are some excerpts from a few of the lots of applications we received:
" The constant scrolling."
" I tried it with an old traditional phone, it was like returning to an ex - with all the old pros and cons. Who does that?"
" We utilize our phones a lot - why should not they be lovely in addition to functional?"
" I'm doing my own variation now, but I needed to choose a broke ass burner phone that's 10 years old ...".
" As a UI designer for digital products I've typically questioned some of the success criteria utilized in my industry, particularly 'engagement' as a metric for success. Till that changes, unfortunately it's really tough to fight against 100s of designers who are attempting to hook you in to their products. [] There is a certain irony about this as I design for these items however wish to escape them. I believe it's an opportunity for me as a designer to appreciate how important our attention is, and attempt to take that lesson back into my industry, hopefully to affect a modification in method to technology.".
" I have begun eliminating all my social media profiles and have right away observed the positive effect it's had on me. I am a lot calmer now, and I wish to keep it that way, by likewise eliminating my smartphone for good.".
Life is too brief to keep our heads down.
Technology has drastically changed over the last century, from being a handy tool in our lives to keeping us as connected in as much as it can and for the longest duration of time. This Challenge changes that in its entirety, pushing us into recognizing what is going on. I've constantly loved utilizing the most recent things, however considering that Punkt. has been around, I wished to change that, and with the Digital Detox Challenge, that's precisely what took place. When you go from a continuously ringing smartphone to a phone like this, you realize how much you can compromise all these applications that keep you hooked all day: you do not require them.
In a way, you do become kind of apart socially from your buddies-- let's state if they "Snapchat" you or whatnot-- however you start to understand that it's for the better, and the Punkt. MP01 accomplishes just that. It teaches you simplicity and teaches you that you don't require everything on your phone. Just the essentials.
If you feel like you are hooked on your phone, like the majority of people I have met, it might be a good time to give this phone a try. Much of my own household members experience this feeling and I feel like passing this obstacle on to others so they can master it. This Challenge has become so important in 2018 because-- as I stated-- Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. are here to keep us hooked in for the longest time. Do not believe me? Download QualityTime for your Android and you will recognize that you don't even take notice of what's going on around you. If you feel an itch, it might be a great time to obtain that checked out, and a great method to tackle it is with the Punkt. MP01.
The more time we invest taking a look at screens, the less important daylight becomes-- and in some cases, yes, more of a hindrance. Whether you're checking your messages while walking to work, enjoying your mobile phone with your good friends (who are each delighting in theirs), or viewing a movie, daytime is a trouble.
We started heading this way because we wanted to. Nowadays-- to a large extent-- we simply do it due to the fact that we do it. And because others desire us to do it.
Is this really how you desire to invest your time on Earth?
* * *.
In 2016, Google employee Tristan Harris left his job to discovered a new non-profit organisation called Time Well Spent, which sought to expand the argument on exactly what innovation is doing to us and caused the production of the Center for Humane Technology. Given that then, the subject has exploded into the mainstream and it has ended up being clear that it is refraining from doing great things to our general sense of well-being.
The web page of the Center's site features a striking montage image. A generic graphic of a mobile phone is combined with a photograph of a female. She is not presented as being on the screen. She remains in truth looking out from the phone, leaning with her arms folded on the bottom edge of the screen as though it were a windowsill. She seems delighted, taking pleasure in the view. And here she is bathed in sunlight.
Maybe it makes good sense to use these brighter evenings for something aside from looking at pixels? And when bedtime techniques, matching sundown with a digital sunset: whatever turned off, leaving just a land-line with a number understood only to household and friends, and a dedicated alarm clock.
Signing up with those who have ditched their smart devices entirely, integrating a basic phone with a laptop computer or tablet (much much better for typing on). Nowadays these ideas may sound practically extreme, however as far as biology is concerned, they're exactly what your brain desires. The medical side-effects of tech over-use.
Due to the fact that of the obvious decrease in traffic accidents, Daylight Saving Time is said to increase life span of a nation's citizens. Ditto prohibiting phone use while driving, of course (with a much clearer causal link). Phones are dangerous in other ways, too: scrollers strolling into traffic, selfie trophy-hunters taking one threat a lot of, and so on. Over-use of tech diminishes our lives in another way as well-- incrementally and undoubtedly. It gives us a narrower existence where we are less focussed, less rested and thus less awake. Over-use eats our lives, and it's ending up being the norm.
Time for a rethink?
Do you find that wherever you go, you always wind up in the same place: in front of your mobile phone? Utilizing it, or letting it use you, to stay 'connected'? Gotten in touch with exactly what individuals are up to back home. Gotten in touch with the most recent news reports. Gotten in touch with work. Connected with video games, YouTube videos, Wikipedia. Gotten in touch with photos from the last vacation you took, and the one prior to that. What type of 'connection' is that, actually? This scenario is something that's sneaked up on us, and maybe it's time to begin making some decisions ...
A holiday is a chance to turn off, to experience brand-new things. But if we do not likewise change off our devices, if we continue to outsource our awareness to image sensing units 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 type of holiday tax. Part of the experience is deducted-- and not to help the regional economy, but to assist line the pockets of shareholders of social networks companies.
Envision a classic travelogue like Jack Kerouac's On the Road, minus this tax. There wouldn't be much. And even if we're searching for something a bit less extreme for our fortnight away, the principle still applies. Whether it's a case of pings on the beach, or livestreaming from the Louvre, something's gained however something's lost. And on the subject of getting lost, yes, without a mobile phone it might take place. And perhaps you'll wind up someplace that turns out to be the highlight of your trip. Perhaps you'll find some interesting restaurant that isn't really on tripadvisor.com. You may end up speaking to some locals. Nothing ventured, absolutely nothing got. This connect the growing sluggish travelmovement, and the recovering of overland travel as a mainstream and sensible option to flying, shown by the underground success of The Man in Seat Sixty-One. It's all about being there.
If we do choose to have a holiday that does not revolve around processing big information, there are a couple of options. We can go to the other severe, and leave home with no type of phone or tablet. (That never used to be an extreme, however we live in severe times.) And we have alternatives like altering our device's settings to 'minimum', leaving it in the hotel safe throughout the day, etc
. Or we can take a various phone. One that just does calls and texts. And after that immerse ourselves in a various culture, have some experiences, or merely take pleasure in a bit of peace and quiet.
The physical act of swapping phones goes deep. It's a bit like flying the nest. And it's beginning to acquire in popularity: whether an inexpensive, old-tech model or something more elegant and updated, choosing to sometimes use a basic phone is something that everyone can connect to nowadays. They may refrain from doing it themselves, however they definitely know why some individuals do.
There are useful benefits, too. Only needing to charge your phone sometimes is popular with everybody however if you're going someplace without mains electrical power, your greedy mobile phone will be no use at all. Also, with an easy phone you don't have to keep inspecting that your digital factotum hasn't cunningly discovered some method of adding monster-sized data roaming charges-- it can still happen. It's the 'in fact being there' that truly counts. Sure, travelling without a smartphone will imply a few mix-ups, a reduced capability to strategy, to know beforehand what's going to happen. However taking a trip sans algorithms is where the action is. And the screens on basic 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; increase that by 10 if you're abroad.
It's the 'in fact being there' that truly counts. Sure, travelling without a mobile phone will imply a few mix-ups, a reduced ability to plan, to know ahead of time exactly what's going to happen. But travelling sans algorithms is where the action is.
SMS 03 - Punkt. MP02 from Punkt. on Vimeo.