Connected, but Disconnected: Social Media as a Distraction from Boredom

The modern perception of boredom leads us believe that it is something to be avoided, a state of tedium. However, if we embrace boredom, if we have the patience to allow ourselves to be disconnected from the things that consume us every day and to drift into a true state of boredom, this patience will be rewarded with meaningful experience that brings us to states of deep awareness. This thesis will focus on the importance of embracing boredom as a way of opening up a platform for thoughtfulness and creativity. To balance this discussion, the thesis will also explore the challenges that we encounter in trying to find boredom. The modern digital world, saturated with a never-ending stream of new information, imagery and visual noise, makes it difficult to find the space and quiet necessary to achieve a deep and pure boredom. We are a culture fully immersed in this digital world. The thesis will look at social media in terms of user experience and user interface design, paying particular attention to Facebook and Instagram which are designed in such a way that encourages us to stay online for as long as possible, distracting us from our physical environment and making sure that we never feel bored.