Diploma project
Spring 2021
Institute of Design
Z Futures - The struggle of disconnecting in a hyperconnected world is a diploma project that aims to spark a debate and encourage critical reflections regarding digital media overuse.
We are living in an age where smartphones have become our constant companions and the pressure of constantly keeping up has strongly influenced our lives. Accordingly, excessive use of digital media might significantly impact one’s mental health. This is especially applicable for Generation Z, the first generation to grow up with widespread usage of smartphones.
Despite hyperconnectivity being an issue at a societal level, the individuals are often expected to deal with the pressures by themselves. The aim of this diploma project is to facilitate discussions with youth, as well as people working with youth, regarding digital media overuse and questioning where the responsibility lies.
In order to start conversations and reflection processes, we have designed a set of ten speculative objects. Discussions around these artefacts can help us collectively define a preferable future, better understand the present and highlight the importance of this issue.
With this project, we also want to contribute to the design practice itself by illustrating how speculative and experimental design methods can be used for research purposes.
Agata Cypriak vel Czupryniak / agata.czupryniak@gmail.com
Clementine Rusten / clementine.rusten@gmail.com
We are living in an age where smartphones have become our constant companions and the pressure of constantly keeping up has strongly influenced our lives. Accordingly, excessive use of digital media might significantly impact one’s mental health. This is especially applicable for Generation Z, the first generation to grow up with widespread usage of smartphones.
Despite hyperconnectivity being an issue at a societal level, the individuals are often expected to deal with the pressures by themselves. The aim of this diploma project is to facilitate discussions with youth, as well as people working with youth, regarding digital media overuse and questioning where the responsibility lies.
In order to start conversations and reflection processes, we have designed a set of ten speculative objects. Discussions around these artefacts can help us collectively define a preferable future, better understand the present and highlight the importance of this issue.
With this project, we also want to contribute to the design practice itself by illustrating how speculative and experimental design methods can be used for research purposes.
Agata Cypriak vel Czupryniak / agata.czupryniak@gmail.com
Clementine Rusten / clementine.rusten@gmail.com
