What is the cost of our digital addiction?
And how might we encourage more human, analogue ways of relating when designing events, services, and products?
Less stimulus, more aliveness and intimacy
Two months ago I (Jordan) decided to take a serious plunge into designing a lighter life for myself.
I bought a Punkt. phone, which strips out most of the attention seeking features of smartphones and ditched my iPhone.
The result? I've rediscovered on average five hours of attention per day that has been diverted - for years, since I first purchased the iPhone back in 2007.
So what am I doing with the attention I've gained?
Deep work.
Which I believe is less about filling my time with other things to do, and more about experiencing the present moment differently.
With more aliveness, or as the Punkt. founders have described it, more 'intimacy'.
This was way easier than I thought it would be, and more fun.
Sure, there have been some bumps along the way. Texting is harder. I can't call an Uber or use my navigation apps on my smartphone, but I've devised some workarounds.
Small inconveniences to manage. The reward?
More 'me'.
What might a more sober use of tech give us?
Recently, inspired by Jordan, I (Johnnie) began rationing my time with technology, stepping away from devices for a day, or least purposely choosing when to dip back into the world of ‘online’ and back out.
In an age where it seems we all have a screen at our fingertips, the two of us are wondering: What is the cost of our individual and collective digital addiction? And what might a more sober approach to technology feel like?
We thought it would make a good topic for our continuing series of Unhurried Design conversations. In our next workshop, we'll share experiences of feeling it, seeing it around us, and think about ways to encourage more human, analogue ways of relating when designing events, services, and products.
31 January at 4pm UK (that's 11am EST)
You can sign up at the link below. Price is $10 per ticket, or you can attend for free if you are a paid subscriber.