Mobile Apps and Happiness Levels, Interesting Links - Issue 8
While I am committed to continuing with my monthly newsletter updates, it can be challenging to find inspiration to write amidst the current disruptive climate and the rioting taking place in 22 American cities. The issues of COVID19, healthcare access for all, racism, income inequality, free speech, fact-checking, and the situation in Hong Kong are all incredibly important and deserve our attention. I don't have the answers, but I believe that technology can play a role in addressing these issues.
Despite feeling a bit disheartened, I still wanted to send out a short newsletter and encourage everyone to have conversations with their loved ones and colleagues about what's going on. It's a privilege to have the option to remain uninformed or disengage from difficult conversations, but I believe it's essential that we try to stay informed and engaged. Let's work together towards a brighter future.
Mobile Applications and Happiness
The rankings below reflect data collected from a pool of 200,000 iPhone users. As a builder, it appears clear to me, you want to develop utilities that provide value without competing for time, our most precious resource.
- Happy 22 mins per day on Facebook vs. ☹️ 59 mins.
- Happy 12 mins per day on CandyCrush instead of ☹️ 47 mins.
- Happy 29 mins per day on Reddit instead of ☹️ 57 mins.
- Happy 26 mins per day on Instagram instead of ☹️ 54 mins.
IMHO, it's more beneficial to focus on creating and endorsing practical utility applications that offer solutions to real-world problems through paid subscriptions. Free apps that compete for screen time and your attention can be likened to a harmful habit, such as smoking.
To sum up, using utility applications that consume 15 minutes or less of your daily screen time is unlikely to affect your happiness levels, while everything else could be detrimental to your overall well-being.