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Digital / balance is a movement to find harmonious balance between your virtual and physical world.
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whyAs the virtual continues to pervade into our physical landscape, we are seeing new habits and behaviour that are proving to be damaging to our well-being and generations to come.
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The biggest challenge we all face is to lead a 'balanced’ diet with our digital devices. One does not have to look far to see how our constantly connected lifestyles are over stimulating our minds and distracting us from what is actually going on around us. The problem is getting us to look.
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The Bigger Picture.Digital / balance aims to encourage people to step back and become aware of their device usage to not just benefit their personal well-being but address the bigger issue of increasing dependency.
"It is believed that more and more young people are becoming app-dependent" which means that, instead of holding a mobile gateway of possibilities driven by the user (app-enabled), 'apps' are limiting our possibilities by making the user dependable on the tools offered (app-dependent). As a result our lives, activities, procedures and goals are being dictated by our devices. If generations grow to become dependent on their devices, we have a whole world of problems (literally), as we become brainwashed by an app-dependent worldview that no longer questions our unstable behaviour. |
Digital / balance recognises the our current device usage is not stable. "We are at the brink of falling into the ‘app-dependent’ path that promises to encourage generations that conform to an app filled world with a dependence on the current popular app, and a general expectation that ones future - indeed the future itself - will be dictated by the technology of the time.”[ii]
With new tech comes a bevy of new human behaviour and habits[iii], and in order to regain control of our relationship with technology, its important to step back to become mindful of this behaviour. What relationship do we want between our true self and digital self. Is the digital self and our true self the new mind and body? If we do not ask questions now, we are going to sleep walk into a scenario we do not want. |
The Story.
The movement started in 2014 as a campaign. The campaign looked at ways of engaging the younger generation with the research and issues presented in The App Generation. This included a video and Installation which was design and constructed in Northumbria Design School. The interactive installation was designed to tour different locations, presenting the research and work done by digital / balance, as well as inviting the audience to have their say on our constantly connected lifestyles.
In 2020, digital / balance becomes physical, with the retreat offering temporary disconnection within everyday lifestyles. Guests can sign up to digital / balance, where they receive the digital / diet plan, helping them find balance and their true self.
In 2020, digital / balance becomes physical, with the retreat offering temporary disconnection within everyday lifestyles. Guests can sign up to digital / balance, where they receive the digital / diet plan, helping them find balance and their true self.