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"In my defense, only three hours on Instagram": Designing Toward Digital Self-Awareness and Wellbeing
Conference proceeding   Open access

"In my defense, only three hours on Instagram": Designing Toward Digital Self-Awareness and Wellbeing

Karthik S Bhat, Jiayue Melissa Shi, Wenxuan Song, Dong Whi Yoo and Koustuv Saha
Proceedings of the 2026 CHI Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, pp 1-20
13 Apr 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1145/3772318.3790263
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url
https://doi.org/10.1145/3772318.3790263View
Published, Version of Record (VoR) Open

Abstract

Applied computing -- Psychology Human-centered computing -- Empirical studies in collaborative and social computing Human-centered computing -- Social media
Screen use pervades daily life, shaping work, leisure, and social connections while raising concerns for digital wellbeing. Yet, reducing screen time alone risks oversimplifying technology’s role and neglecting its potential for meaningful engagement. We posit self-awareness—reflecting on one’s digital behavior—as a critical pathway to digital wellbeing. We developed WellScreen, a lightweight probe that scaffolds daily reflection by asking people to estimate and report smartphone use. In a two-week deployment with college students (\(\mathtt {N}\)=25) focused on generating formative insights, we examined how discrepancies between estimated and actual usage shaped digital awareness and wellbeing. Participants often underestimated productivity and social media while overestimating entertainment app use. They showed a 10% improvement in positive affect, rating WellScreen as moderately useful. Interviews revealed that structured reflection supported recognition of patterns, adjustment of expectations, and more intentional engagement with technology. Our findings highlight the promise of lightweight reflective interventions for supporting self-awareness and intentional digital engagement, offering implications for designing digital wellbeing tools.

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