An exploration of what the newest iPhone update means for my attention, usability, and the future of personal technology.
Recently, I watched the new Netflix documentary The Social Dilemma, which depicts former Silicon Valley engineers and designers discussing some of the unintended ethical concerns raised by the technology they created during the early years of Big Tech.
The documentary explored how the business model of Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram has evolved to retain user attention as long as possible by targeting their interests. Longer retention allows the companies to sell more advertisements. This system has many negative effects including social media addiction, hyper-polarization, and large-scale spreading of misinformation.
Many users, including myself, worry that this addictive, attention-rewarding business model does not consider the well-being of their users. Watching the documentary, I began to wonder if Apple’s iPhone design benefits from a similar model. After all, it is the platform that usually hosts social media platforms, as over 80% of American teenagers own an iPhone and spend, on average, around seven hours each day using them.
Personally, I use my phone around four and a half hours every day. The Messages app is the first app I access after picking up my phone 65% of the time. The Google and Podcasts apps are where I spend most of my digital time, although huge chunks are consumed by YouTube and Netflix. I do not use other social media due to fears over their harmful effects.
As I approached the new update, my goal was to design the home screen in a way that helps me spend less time on my phone. I want to use it as a tool, or service, not as a means for extensive entertainment and connection through social media.
For those unfamiliar, the update gives users the ability to create “widgets,” or expansions of some apps on their phone’s home screen. Apps that offer widgets give users the freedom to display larger, more accessible versions of the app, as well as the ability to display the app’s features without actually opening it. For example, a weather widget displays the current weather in my location without any necessary interaction. App developers have complete control over what features these widgets can display, but users can often choose between multiple features and styles of widgets.
After personalizing my phone using the widgets, I was able to achieve each goal I wanted my phone to perform in just a few clicks and 1–2 seconds. The new widget features have some flaws, but overall, iOS 14 is a testament to Apple’s ability to intuitively help users to achieve their desired ends.
I expected that Apple would follow the dangerous, attention-retaining trend of the social media platforms, but actually found the opposite to be true. I did not encounter a single advertisement while completing any of my desired goals. Also, although Instagram can create a widget, it is not a medium that fits well with these types of apps. Widgets reveal the true lack of utility these applications provide.
I want to spend less time on my phone. I want to receive less notifications, and have less stuff waiting for me when I unlock and go to my home screen. It seems like Apple recognizes this desire and puts options into place to limit my time online.
The company also created a “Screen Time” widget, which monitors and displays the time spent on my phone and compares it to my average. This widget also makes it very easy to set app limits for myself or go into “down time” mode in just a couple clicks. This ease of limitation demonstrates that Apple does not need our attention. This is not their business model and not how they make profit. Apple is selling a tool, and it is in their best interest that their tool is used as effectively and efficiently as possible.
The iOS 14 update has actually given me more confidence in the future of the mobile/social tech industry. It signifies that Apple, as an organization, designs its experience to be in service to the user, not the other way around.
The documentary explored how the business model of Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram has evolved to retain user attention as long as possible by targeting their interests. Longer retention allows the companies to sell more advertisements. This system has many negative effects including social media addiction, hyper-polarization, and large-scale spreading of misinformation.
Many users, including myself, worry that this addictive, attention-rewarding business model does not consider the well-being of their users. Watching the documentary, I began to wonder if Apple’s iPhone design benefits from a similar model. After all, it is the platform that usually hosts social media platforms, as over 80% of American teenagers own an iPhone and spend, on average, around seven hours each day using them.
Personally, I use my phone around four and a half hours every day. The Messages app is the first app I access after picking up my phone 65% of the time. The Google and Podcasts apps are where I spend most of my digital time, although huge chunks are consumed by YouTube and Netflix. I do not use other social media due to fears over their harmful effects.
As I approached the new update, my goal was to design the home screen in a way that helps me spend less time on my phone. I want to use it as a tool, or service, not as a means for extensive entertainment and connection through social media.
For those unfamiliar, the update gives users the ability to create “widgets,” or expansions of some apps on their phone’s home screen. Apps that offer widgets give users the freedom to display larger, more accessible versions of the app, as well as the ability to display the app’s features without actually opening it. For example, a weather widget displays the current weather in my location without any necessary interaction. App developers have complete control over what features these widgets can display, but users can often choose between multiple features and styles of widgets.
After personalizing my phone using the widgets, I was able to achieve each goal I wanted my phone to perform in just a few clicks and 1–2 seconds. The new widget features have some flaws, but overall, iOS 14 is a testament to Apple’s ability to intuitively help users to achieve their desired ends.
I expected that Apple would follow the dangerous, attention-retaining trend of the social media platforms, but actually found the opposite to be true. I did not encounter a single advertisement while completing any of my desired goals. Also, although Instagram can create a widget, it is not a medium that fits well with these types of apps. Widgets reveal the true lack of utility these applications provide.
I want to spend less time on my phone. I want to receive less notifications, and have less stuff waiting for me when I unlock and go to my home screen. It seems like Apple recognizes this desire and puts options into place to limit my time online.
The company also created a “Screen Time” widget, which monitors and displays the time spent on my phone and compares it to my average. This widget also makes it very easy to set app limits for myself or go into “down time” mode in just a couple clicks. This ease of limitation demonstrates that Apple does not need our attention. This is not their business model and not how they make profit. Apple is selling a tool, and it is in their best interest that their tool is used as effectively and efficiently as possible.
The iOS 14 update has actually given me more confidence in the future of the mobile/social tech industry. It signifies that Apple, as an organization, designs its experience to be in service to the user, not the other way around.
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