IN-DEPENDENCE is a research project that tries to understand the impact of today’s digital culture. We’re constantly surrounded by a hyper-stimulated digital environment that demands our rapt attention. And in our attempt to adapt to this rapidly changing landscape, what are the repercussions on our culture, our society, our relationships, but also, most importantly, us?
Thesis Abstract
We simultaneously lead a dual life. One in the physical, tangible world & another in the virtual, intangible world; thus ending up at crossroads where they meet. Our devices have become an extension of our physical & mental selves; the little devices in our pockets so psychologically powerful, that they change the very essence of our being; our minds, and consequently, our behaviour.
With the portal to escape always at our fingertips, we yearn to escape at even the slightest hints of boredom. Like a nervous tick, we mindlessly reach for our phones, which leaves our minds distracted and frazzled.
We need to reconnect with ourselves, in order to keep our sanity, to stop technology from completely consuming us and remember what it means to be present in the moment; for today, we are living our lives through our screens.
And the first step to overcoming a problem, is to acknowledge that there is, indeed, a problem! This triggered the need for an intervention, that targets young adults. An experiment, it strives to be a reality check, thus nudging the viewer to question oneself & hopefully trigger a personal response; making them, more mindful of their relationship with technology.
Addressing the problem
The research findings and analysis led to an intervention implemented in the college campus. It is meant to be ironic, because the aim was to use the physical space to talk about our relationship with the digital world. This process involved generating content, designing visuals, finding appropriate settings to plant the content in, so that people stumble upon it when they least expect it. It was an experiment whose purpose was to make one pause and reflect because the first step to overcoming a problem is to acknowledge that there is, indeed a problem!
Aim of the intervention: Nudge people to question their habits and behaviours in order to achieve a more mindful relationship with the technology that surrounds us.
Visual Identity
Iconography derived from the visual identity
The intervention uses the physical space to talk about our relationship with the digital world. Like an easter egg, one is meant to stumble upon this content, where one would least expect to find it.They are almost like musings, as if your inner voice is speaking out loud.
The project has been documented and compiled in a book
Click on the book below to open it
