Blending in

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We are living in an age of distraction, with evidence mounting that our constant connection to technology is reframing our behaviours and could be detrimental to our mental health and relationships.

A 2014 experiment by the University of Virginia and Harvard University found that participants would rather give themselves a small electric shock than be alone with their own thoughts for 15 minutes, indicating how intrinsic smartphones have become to our daily lives. A paper published by American psychologist Jean Twenge in 2017 suggests a link between teen depression and smartphone use. Even those who helped build the tech behemoths have launched a campaign – the Center for Humane Technology – to call time on Facebook, Google et al’s war for people’s attention.

This awareness of the need to disconnect is driving a lifestyle trend towards minimalism and simplicity. A new book – How To Break Up With Your Phone – urges readers to ditch their smartphones to regain agency in their lives, and whole industries have sprung up around digital detoxes and mindfulness apps. Even Generation Z, which grew up surrounded by technology, may not be as evangelical about it as expected. Recent research by BuzzBack suggests young people are seeking balance in their lives and want to disconnect from technology. As one study respondent said: “We don’t want more tech – we want better tech.”

“We’re all aware something is ‘off’, and that we want something more,” says Linda Stone, a former technology executive who coined the term ‘continuous partial attention’ in 1998. “Those who can connect with their values and sync with what ‘more’ means to them are most able to pursue those things. In many cases, that involves disconnecting from technology and connecting more to family, to nature and so forth. 

“At the same time,” she adds, “there’s a tension between wanting to improve our quality of life by connecting to life beyond technology and our fascination with technology and all that it seems to offer us. When we don’t know what we want to move toward, the technology winds up having a strong hold on us.”

Amid this push and pull, some tech companies are taking a different approach to design, by developing products that ‘disappear’ when not in use or that integrate with people’s lives, blending into our surroundings in a more fluid way.

“Tech designers are acknowledging that homes are important spaces where people want to unwind and relax – to escape or roll back their digital connection,” explains Laura Dennehy, head of content solutions at Foresight Factory. “We now see technology  – and its associated wiring, buttons and screens – as clutter, both visually and mentally.”

Samsung, for instance, has built Frame TV, which is designed to look like a piece of art when not in use, while the Speakarts wireless speaker, produced by Curbed in Denmark, can be customised with various art-canvas covers. Ikea has created furniture with wireless charging concealed within it, while a new Panasonic TV screen becomes a transparent pane of glass when it is turned off. 

But it’s not about technology disappearing altogether. Dennehy says the desire for disconnection is driven by ‘notification nausea’: “We want our connectivity to be casual, not interruptive – to aid our lives rather than distract. Devices may be ever-present, but not always craving their user’s attention.”

The rise of voice, driven by the popularity of devices such as Amazon’s Alexa, is already starting to change people’s relationship with technology, and will have an impact on the trend of ‘invisible tech’, according to Dennehy. “Voice will drive the need for quieter presence of tech in our lives. Consumers will demand tech that answers when needed but, otherwise, remains silent.”

Users of voice technology interact with it differently. By removing the necessity for typing commands, it frees people from navigating app interfaces. People don’t need to stop what they’re doing to use voice – it lends itself to activities that require concentration, such as cooking. 

Jamie Allsopp, managing director at Sparkler, which has done research on voice technology, says: “Voice technology represents a step change on the ‘invisibility’ front. It offers the promise of escape – giving back our time and attention to focus on what’s important in our lives; the chance to declutter our homes and minds, but still with infinite access to whatever we want.”

According to Allsopp, however, voice isn’t a salve for people’s fascination for screens. While the technology is ‘hidden’ beneath the surface, users still need visual and physical anchors to tell them there is something listening and happening.

“Somewhat ironically, for voice technology to be further adopted it will need to be more observable – people need to see others using it. And like screens, sound is an extremely good way of getting, and interrupting, attention.”

Allsopp believes it will become a supplement to screen-based activities rather than replacing them. “It might shift some attention away from screens – where it offers an easier, faster and more natural experience – but mostly to other forms of digital interaction.”

There has been an explosion in the development of ‘connected home’ or ‘smart home’ products in the past few years, but there’s a fine balance between technology that adds to our lives and technology that adds too much, becoming a distraction.

Calm technology, a concept introduced in the mid-1990s by Xerox Parc researchers Mark Weiser and John Seely Brown, is the principle of technology that frees people to live their lives better, as opposed to plundering attention – and could be an antidote to this interruption.

Amber Case, anthropologist and author of Calm Technology: Design for the Next Generation of Devices, has said a lot of technology works by using just our visual sense, but that it could be much more ambient and make use of peripheral senses, interacting with us in a calmer way. 

Speaking at the Thinking Digital Conference (TDC) Manchester in October 2016, Case said technology should inform us without having to talk to us. She cited a Hue Lightbulb that she has in her kitchen; it is connected to a weather application programme interface (API) and changes colour based on the weather – essentially, the technology communicates without speaking.

“Calm technology is boring,” Case said. “It’s like the electricity in your house – it’s there when you need it and, if it goes away, you really notice. It allows you to accomplish your goals with the least amount of mental cost – the scarcest resource right now. A person’s primary task shouldn’t be computing – it should be being human.” 

This article was first published in the April 2018 issue of Impact.