The Calm Tech Institute sat down with Caroline Cadwell, CEO of Unpluq, a company focused on making tools that help people tip the scales of power between addictive tech and media, and how they choose to spend their time.
“You check your phone, you're looking at the time, all of a sudden, your thumb has unlocked it and has automatically gone and opened the most colorful icon on the home screen.”
CTI: What challenges do people face when trying to reduce their screen time?
Cadwell: Pavlovian conditioning, for one. The average number of pickups a day is something like 150 times that we will touch our phone in a day. Even if it lights up silently, you're reaching for it.
You're turning your head, you're thinking about it. Because it is so integrated in our lives already, the amount of effort that is needed to make that change is really high.
CTI: Tell us about what Unpluq does.
Caroline: Unpluq is digital habit change. We make a simple keychain Tag (NFC) that works with an app on your phone. It acts like a key to specific apps, and they don’t unblock until you physically tap it to your phone.
CTI: You can put that Tag somewhere that's a bit harder to get to, like a drawer or in your car.
The mobile app is where you make some conscious choices about what you would like to use less of–so that you can spend that time offline, connecting or having real disconnection instead of disassociation.
You set it up to automatically block the apps you want to use less, either all the time or on a schedule in certain hours. For a lot of people, that looks like blocking distractions during quality time, say, dinner–or blocking time-wasters during work/study hours.
CTI: Why do you think this approach is effective?
Caroline: We based our design thinking in this really interesting habit-change science out of the Netherlands called rational override theory. What we've made with Unpluq is something that works for a much greater number of people because it forces you to use a different part of your brain when you're making decisions about mindless scrolling.
"You don't realize you're making that decision when you unlock your phone. Your phone is designed that way."
You check your phone, you're looking at the time, all of a sudden, your thumb has unlocked it and has automatically gone and opened the most colorful icon on the home screen.
CTI: What results have you seen from users?
Caroline: More than 50% of people are still using Unpluq a year later. For habit change methods, this is a HUGE win.
On average, people reduce their screen time by about an hour and 22 minutes versus their baseline. We know that reducing by an hour a day has a really great impact on mental health.
Unintentionally spending our valuable time on our phones is something most people struggle with, and it’s our biggest opportunity to recover time for human connection–something I believe our world desperately needs more of. -Cadwell, Unpluq CEO
CTI: Beyond personal benefits, do you see broader implications for society?
Absolutely. We’ve seen many negative trends pop up in the last 10 years that correlate with widespread adoption of smartphones, for example. We see a mental health crisis that is particularly impacting girls, a loneliness epidemic while we’re arguably the most “connected” we’ve ever been, and a quickening polarization of viewpoints and erasure of a middle ground that pits people against each other.
We’re trying to support people in reversing the behavior addictive tech has taught them and that is incongruent with the way they want to live at a fundamental level. To do that, giving people tools to embrace more human connection, and have the opportunity to do that–instead of taking another hit from their phone.
CTI: For our readers who are interested, how can they learn more about Unpluq or get one of your products?
Caroline: You can buy one right now at https://www.unpluq.com/.
We're also doing something unique with our funding model. This isn't just about raising funds; it's about aligning our incentives with our customers.
We're doing equity crowdfunding so that people can own part of the company, not VCs that have backed the addictive tech we’re countering. This means that the incentives are aligned with the people that use the product.
My Cofounder, Jorn, and I believe this approach allows us to stay true to our mission of helping people regain control of their digital lives, rather than being driven by a third party’s objectives.
Thank you for sharing all of this with us, Caroline!
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Links:
Buy an Unpluq tag: https://www.unpluq.com/
Invest in Unpluq: https://wefunder.com/unpluq
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CTI founder Amber Case is a huge fan of Unpluq and uses it every day. It’s allowed her to cut down on more than an hour a day of endless scrolling. Thanks to Caroline for this interview!