Tag Archives: Social media

Browsing TikTok while working? This NFC Tag lets you block distracting apps and notifications

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Have you ever opened TikTok or Instagram, closed it, and just within a second later, opened it again? Social media addiction is involuntary, and you’ll be surprised to know that a lot of the behaviors on social media happen incredibly unconsciously. You might like a photo without actually observing it, or double tap on a TikTok or IG reel just out of habit without really registering the fact. It’s muscle memory… and the Unpluq Tag hopes to break it. The Unpluq Tag is a physical gatekeeper to your digital world – if you’re the kind of person (like I am) who checks IG 30-40 times a day, or spends hours on TikTok without actually realizing it, that’s where the Unpluq Tag comes in. Designed to be an NFC tag that sits around your keychain or somewhere on your table, the Unpluq App + Tag blocks addictive non-productive apps of your choice on your phone and only allows you to open them by actually tapping the NFC tag on your phone. How is it any different from manually locking certain apps on your phone and typing a keyword to unlock them? Well, there are a few clever differences…

Designers: Jorn Rigter & Tim Smits

Click Here to Buy Now: $44 $64 (31% off). Hurry, only 2 left!

The Unpluq Tag blocks non-essential apps and hides unimportant notifications, keeping distractions away while you work, play, meditate, or meet friends/family. However, since everyone benefits from periodic breaks and rewards after being productive, the Unpluq Tag gives you short bursts of access to your favorite apps, simply by tapping the NFC tag on your phone. The tag works almost like a hall pass, giving you a brief window of time to enjoy before you get back to work. When you physically tap the tag, it becomes a conscious decision as opposed to when people normally open social media unconsciously or subconsciously. This agency over your own decisions breaks one important aspect of the unhealthy cycle of social media addiction.

Decide which Apps distract you, and at what time.

Wait, how is this any different from just locking and unlocking your apps? Sure, you can manually lock apps that open only when you input a passcode. However, that’s more of an anti-snooping feature than a self-discipline feature… and typing out a passcode to unlock an app can become intuitive over time, basically defeating the purpose of having you off social media while working. Android and iOS even have ‘focus modes’ that allow you to automatically snooze non-essential notifications while working, but those features don’t block the apps. What the Unpluq Tag does is bundle them together into one singular device that actively makes sure you don’t slip into old patterns of behavior. The best part? You can hide your Unpluq Tag or give it to a friend or family member so that you aren’t tempted to unlock Instagram in the middle of working or studying. There’s no way to cheat your way out of the system.

The Unpluq team’s pitch isn’t new – the company also launched the Unpluq Key in 2020, which was an actual hardware device that you had to plug into your phone. In its newer avatar, the Unpluq Tag is smaller and doesn’t have a port. It works on NFC (near field communication) technology and the interaction is reduced to a simple tap. The device works in tandem with the Unpluq app which simultaneously blocks access to distracting apps and snoozes their notifications. You can set your apps to get locked whenever you want, and even program a schedule, so your distractions routinely disappear on their own during work hours. The Unpluq app can automatically detect which apps need blocking, although it also gives you the ability to pick and choose what apps you want to be restricted while you’re busy.

Roughly the size and shape (and color) of a Cheez-It cracker, the Unpluq Tag is designed to sit around your keychain, although you can pin it to a softboard, hook it to your backpack, or attach it to your lanyard. For $44, you can grab yourself a single Unpluq Tag, which also comes with a 1-year free subscription to the Unpluq app, which also gives you stats at the end of the day to show you how much time you saved. Go ahead, block all distractions, and unlock your mind’s true potential!

Click Here to Buy Now: $44 $64 (31% off). Hurry, only 2 left!

The post Browsing TikTok while working? This NFC Tag lets you block distracting apps and notifications first appeared on Yanko Design.

This X-shaped dystopian family residence is split into four quadrants to find privacy in the digital age

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The Broken Home is an unconventional, X-shaped home whose layout has been optimized for the digital age and the need for privacy.

As we move deeper into the tech age, some architects are eager to bring us back to the analog days. Others are embracing this digital era to harmonize our living spaces with our technological needs. Whether it’s through smart technology or essentialist floor plans, architects are integrating technology into our home spaces in unprecedented ways.

Designer: Integrated Field Co., Ltd. (IF)

The Broken Home, from Integrated Field Co., Ltd. (IF), is a contemporary home designed specifically for today’s digital age that optimizes the home space for digital interaction and working from home.

Primarily concerned with privacy, the Broken Home is envisioned with an X-shaped frame that separates private living quarters into four quadrants. As residents enter the Broken Home, a long corridor functions as a transitional passage, directing each resident to their respective living space. The architects at IF designed the Broken Home to have significantly fewer common spaces than traditional homes, reducing the common spaces to comprise only 12% of the home.

The choice to decrease the number of common spaces was a direct result of modern families spending more time in their private quarters with technology than time together in living spaces.

With the digital age defining the Broken Home’s floor plan and finished look, the IF architects integrated timely features like a specialized passage for directing online food deliveries and packages to their assigned recipient.

In addition to this, IF incorporated descending partition screens so residents can find privacy even in common spaces. For instance, instead of a chandelier, the dining area comes with overhead privacy screens that resemble the look of hair hood dryers from salons.

When residents are in their personal spaces IF made sure to include hidden features that aid residents during the workday. Each bedroom is equipped with indirect lighting to stave off the cold, harsh feeling of overhead light fixtures and wall spaces provide screening opportunities for live streaming and social media usage.

Fold-out furnishings help to make the most of the floor space and maintain the home’s minimalist appeal.

From the outside, the Broken Home appears like a refined, single-story residence. 

Inside the Broken Home, residents find the optimal conditions for living in the digital age.

The post This X-shaped dystopian family residence is split into four quadrants to find privacy in the digital age first appeared on Yanko Design.

Award-winning automotive + architecture design with an Instagram-inspired gallery to showcase the users style!

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Pavilion is a flexible, architectural space designed as a moving vehicle where users can generate personal galleries to be displayed to the world.

The need to express yourself is real. From the dawn of time, self-expression has been the catalyst for works of art and cultural landmarks that help define the human experience. Today, social media undoubtedly plays a major role in newfound modes of self-expression and bridging culture and craft across the world.

Inspired by the ways humans express themselves, Junu Kim was recently recognized by DesignWanted with an award at Pininfarina’s “New Dreams for a New World” competition for his architecture and Instagram-inspired Pavilion, a car concept that doubles as an ‘Ego Gallery.’

Serpentine Pavilion in London’s Kensington Garden selects and presents architectural artworks on a yearly basis, meant to exhibit each architect’s unique vision and artistic philosophy. Motivated to scale that showcase down to an automobile concept, Junu Kim’s Pavilion allows anyone to display their personal gallery on a moving vehicle for the world to take in their distinct personality, in a similar fashion to the Serpentine Pavilion.

Closely resembling a storefront window, Kim’s Pavilion would allow users to display objects and 3D images for onlookers to understand their personality as if they were scrolling through their Instagram grid. Envisioned in jade green, the automobile is a transparent four-wheeler that features a seating compartment for one person and a display case for each user’s gallery that’s bordered with wooden paneling.

Inspired by Dieter Rams’ take on modern architecture, Kim’s Pavilion features round edges and dramatic lines that flow seamlessly together. Equipped with everything from hologram interfaces and furniture constructed from marble, Kim’s Pavilion concept is the type of car designed for the future.

Designer: Junu Kim