The Intersection of Technology and Everyday Life
Lauren Van Horn
Committee: Eric Wills (chair), Kate Mondloch
Honors Bachelors Thesis(May 2023)
Keywords: App, programming, Xcode, Technology, Social Media
Growing up in the age of technology, mobile phones and tablets are all that we've ever known. As a society, we have become reliant on the connectedness that our phones give us to people from all across the world. In some cases, we have become addicted to how we interact with screen-based technology. Built into phones and apps are different techniques to keep us looking longer and scrolling more. I am going to analyze how our use of screen-based technology and phones has changed over time and examine the impact that this has had on society—specifically with Generation Z. With my background in computer science and coding, I will develop an app that focuses on bringing people back into real life. After certain intervals of time of continuous use of your phone, the app will pop up a reminder to take a break, drink some water, and bring yourself back into the moment. With this gentle reminder, I'm hoping to enable people to relieve their dependency to screen-based technology a bit. With the research that I gather, I will interpret the importance of the app and the potential applications it will have to daily life and the impacts it could bring to my generation.