Phones As A Shared Experience
During dinner, I had a significant epiphany.
It all started when we were waiting for the rest to come back from the restroom. I decided to use my phone to reply to some messages. My mum then commented, “Hey, don’t use your phone, it’s anti-social.” So we found an alternative hangout activity, doing origami using the chopstick wrappers.
I wondered, what exactly is the difference between origami and using my phone? In a way, both activities are somewhat individualistic. The only significant difference between the two is that other people could see what I was doing when I was doing origami whereas it was a mystery for the rest when I used my phone.
That moment I had a major realisation: phones create an entire world for the viewer to indulge in, one that only they can experience themselves. It is not a shared experience.
It dawned upon me how the simple act of seeing the same thing could form a much deeper connection between individuals. The most straightforward solution could be to make phones transparent. So others can see what we’re doing. But of course, we want privacy. Then how could we reimagine the phone experience to help people form better social connections?
Imagine having bezel-less phones that combine to form a bigger screen. A new interface then pops up to facilitates group interaction. You can watch videos, play games together. Nobody would feel excluded.
Or what if each phone had a screen and a controller connected to it? Similar to the switch. And you could combine your screens and play Mario Kart while waiting for your food to come.
Technology does not promote anti-social behaviour; it is merely a tool. Instead, it is the design of the phone that does not promote it. Perhaps redesigning our phones, our technology, could fundamentally change our behaviours to encourage even more interactions.
