The Digital Detox: Why we love to hate technology (but we don’t need to)

With the REACT Showcase just round the corner, we have been reflecting on the InTouch project: we have a fantastic prototype, and are very excited about its new technology, but its real significance lies in what it represents. The InTouch project is not really about technology, but about people.

Smartphones give us all the capacity and technology for communication: mobility, instant pictures, videos, high-quality audio. But we still feel that they are lacking; the digital backlash is well underway. Videos – somewhat ironically – circulate on social media about digital detoxing and returning to ‘real’ relationships. But this is perhaps idealistic, overlooking the fact that some people need to communicate at a distance.

We have been working to find ways to overcome the tension between people’s need to communicate over distance and desire to digitally ‘detox’. Our InTouch prototype is only the first stage in this process, but we are using it to explore bigger questions. Two of our main questions are whether we can add the human touch to long-distance communication, and whether removing screens can make for more ‘friendly’ technology. We are trying to find out what creates a sense of closeness, without having to replace ‘real’ touch, and where the fine line lies between the warm buzz of somebody’s touch and the intrusive vibration of a mobile phone.

Come and tell us what you think (and test our prototype) at:

Objects Sandbox Showcase at Christie’s

17 – 21 September

Wed – Fri 0900 – 1700 & Sat – Sun 1100 – 1700

Objects Sandbox Prototypes at V&A Digital Design Weekend

20 & 21 September 1030 – 1730