Mindfulness often looks at the idea of “presence” and how many people lack the trait of “being present” in their everyday life.
The Be Present band is a direct physical reminder and an affirmation that you probably don’t need to be looking at your phone right now.
It consists of a wide silicone band that you slide over your phone. In order to use your phone you have to remove it in order to gain full access to your screen. You can still take calls without removing it by placing it up high or low on the phone to allow access to the call answer buttons.
This simple concept works on the social level more than the personal level. It’s designed, like the myriad of “cause bracelets” to raise awareness of an issue and provoke conversations. This one’s a bit different however, as it’s a reflection of the person who owns it, not just a cause they might subscribe to.
This concept was created as part of my research on social media addiction for the Social Repair Toolkit Studio at RMIT. You can read my final research document by clicking on the PDF (36 pages, 8.3MB) below.