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Digital Wellbeing and “Meaningless” Interactions with Mobile Devices

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Distributed, Ambient and Pervasive Interactions. Smart Living, Learning, Well-being and Health, Art and Creativity (HCII 2022)

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Abstract

Much of the research on digital wellbeing (DWB) in HCI focuses on increasing happiness, reducing distraction, or achieving goals. Distinct from this is a conceptualization of DWB sensitive to another commonly observed type of interaction with technology: the interstitial, the mundane, or the “meaningless.” We examine DWB with a mixed methods approach – a series of three separate but related Experience Sampling Method studies (ESM) paired with user interviews and diary studies. Through both quantitative and interpretive analyses, we clarify the distinction between what is identifiable – in terms of what is observable, measurable, or significant – and what is, from a human perspective, important. Extending from our analysis, we define and operationalize meaningless interactions with technology, highlighting how those interactions can contribute to self-empathy and contentment. Ultimately, we suggest a framing for DWB sensitive to these observations to support design for people in their lived experiences.

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Acknowledgements

We’d like to thank the members of the Human Centered Design & Engineering Picture 2 Practice Research Group at the University of Washington, whose participation and active engagement was instrumental to our ability to complete the work above.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Google, New York, NY, 10011, USA

    Michael Gilbert

  2. University of Washington, Seattle, WA, 98195, USA

    Mark Zachry

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  1. Michael Gilbert
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Correspondence to Michael Gilbert .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Smart Future Initiative, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    Norbert A. Streitz

  2. Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan

    Shin'ichi Konomi

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Gilbert, M., Zachry, M. (2022). Digital Wellbeing and “Meaningless” Interactions with Mobile Devices. In: Streitz, N.A., Konomi, S. (eds) Distributed, Ambient and Pervasive Interactions. Smart Living, Learning, Well-being and Health, Art and Creativity. HCII 2022. Lecture Notes in Computer Science, vol 13326. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-05431-0_17

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-05431-0_17

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