Mobile me & you: nataliatal_
In the context of our mobile reputations of sharing economy and collaborative consumption course we were asked by our coordinator Mrs Betty Tsakarestou to examine Millennials’ behaviors and their relationship with their mobile phones on a daily basis. Some of the topics that we had to put under the microscope were the time their screen time, their mobile habits, their favorite and most used apps and whether their mobile phones are their personal assistants as well.
After presenting our own behavior, our friends’ habits and some global case studies, we choose to further examine a specific target group, a community. We decided to interview Millennials that might use their mobile phones’ services and the possibilities they offer as a creative output. Natalia was one of them.
Natalia is a 22 years old visual artist and an art and social practice MA student at Middlesex University , London. She uses her phone approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes per day, 35 minutes from which she is on Instagram. First thing in the morning, she checks Messenger, Instagram and her e-mails. Her favorite apps are Instagram, Shazam and Spotify, while her most used apps are Instagram, Spotify and Messenger.
If we took her phone away from her she would miss Spotify but not Instagram or Messenger. She lost it for 3 days and didn’t even care. To schedule her day/life she uses her phone’ s alarm and notes but she prefers to write everything down. She also uses the Clue app.
When she was working, she had to book everything via her phone, couldn’t use her laptop. She also used to check her e-mails all the time to find her timetable. When it comes to her university she checks her e-mails but she never writes an e-mail on her phone coz she gets nervous. Transportation-wise, she only uses City mapper and Google maps. Her phone is the introduction for her to use her laptop, which she prefers.
She has the Polaroid app so that she can connect her Polaroid camera to her phone. She likes to share on Instagram her work, not any personal stuff. She would like to post more but she’ s bored of the process of promoting her work. She tries to upload stories quite often. She is the co-admin of another profile, Urban Streets, which is conceptual, but she doesn’t post a lot anymore. She does not share on Facebook. Only to promote her friends ‘ work.
She uses WhatsApp for uni groups but her main chatting app is Messenger. When she’ s out with friends she tries not to check her phone, except form when she texts someone. She tries to use her phone “correctly” so that she feels connected and up to date. She thinks that the abuse would make her feel disconnected.
She has an Airbnb account but not on her phone. She would try couch surfing, but not alone. She agrees with the mentality of sharing economy and services, except form Amazon (film, reusable cameras…) She does not buy stuff online. She doesn’t trust online shopping. She wouldn’t pay for an app. She only pays for Spotify premium -she claims she is addicted to it- Uber and tickets. She accidentally got an Amazon prime account.
When we asked her about influencers her response was: “What is an influencer?”. She gets that this is their job. She doesn’t totally agree with the concept but it depends on how they influence their audience. She follows @mimielashiry and @foteineli . She prefers to check pages, magazines, galleries and communities.
She edits her photos on her laptop (using Photoshop), not on her phone. She doesn’t use or own any editing apps, but she knows VSCO. She doesn’t trust her phone’s camera, only for stories and for fun. She follows some editing communities, like @womenstreetphotographers, @somewherecollective. She edits every single photo. She believes that editing is part of her art, her personal style and aesthetic Editing apps are rather amateur. Instagram promotes this fake behavior.
Our team: Christos Daniilidis Danai Lyratzi Frossini Drakouli Maria Kall
Our coordinator: Betty Tsakarestou
