Problem
Social media is easy and free to enter, but it comes at the cost of user well-being, leaving people trapped in a walled-in garden; an “alone together” digital consumer space rather than a genuinely connected one.
Solution
Using Meta’s API, Epilog is a step toward a post-Extremely-Online experience that lets you log off, and use social media as a tool, instead of letting it use you.*
Contributions / People
Epilog is a personal project that is greatly influenced and refined by peers I have worked with along the way, and friends who’ve lent their ears, eyes and brains.
UX Research, Brand Book, Product Design
*some of the language in this project is guided by Katherine Cross’s book Log Off.
What to expect from this case study.
Examine the current state of social media engagement and its effects on everyday users.
Demo a solution: Epilog, a tool for folks who want to log off and stay-in-touch.
Get some help from you: join the research data pool in the Typeform below.
What’s Next? If you’re interested in beta testing, want to give feedback, or have web dev skills to offer, please let me know. ❤️
Instagram Habits Survey
We’ll examine the data from participants in the next section. Take a few minutes to complete the survey before you move on!
SURVEY RESULTS
Social media doesn’t feel so social anymore, so what is it?
Last updated August 8, 2024
This case study is predicated on two main observations supported by the above and below data.
Instagram is a deeply pervasive, daily habit;
What started as a tool to stay connected has mutated to become an easy-to-enter entertainment space with steep, enclosing walls.
Stickiness (qualities that attract and hold visitors) is driven by consuming Reels and posts. These short-form, algorithm-driven, endless feeds are responsible for capturing and keeping user’s attention in unprecedented ways.
Attachment is driven by the connection felt when exchanging content—not just the consumption of content—people still need people to extract value.
48% of users frequently consider reducing their time on Instagram, but don’t. If you batch folks who consider reducing their time occasionally, 89% of the Instagram user base carries at least some resentment at the time they spend on the Instagram app.
Why do you want to leave Instagram?
“It's a waste of time and very distracting.”
"Outside of keeping up with friends and family, I don't have a real reason to use it."
“It's a waste of time and very distracting.” "Outside of keeping up with friends and family, I don't have a real reason to use it."
"I use it and procrastinate on my schoolwork."
"I am spending way too much time on my phone."
"I use it and procrastinate on my schoolwork." "I am spending way too much time on my phone."
“I'd like to be more present in the real world."
"It distracts me from my work."
“I'd like to be more present in the real world." "It distracts me from my work."
"I spend way too much without realizing."
"It's time uselessly consuming."
"I spend way too much without realizing." "It's time uselessly consuming."
"I want wasted time back"
"I don't want to be overstimulated. And I want to do things for myself, not because it makes my life seem interesting on social media."
"I want wasted time back" "I don't want to be overstimulated. And I want to do things for myself, not because it makes my life seem interesting on social media."
"It started to bore me and I realized its just time consuming."
"Wasting my life"
"It started to bore me and I realized its just time consuming." "Wasting my life"
Direct quotes from the survey above. Last updated August 7, 2024
How might we get less online?
Epilog’s Foundation
How does it work?
Sign up and receive a set up instruction email
Log in and allow Epilog to access your Instagram
Configure Delivery Settings
Delete the Instagram app (recommended 😉)
Receive Post & Messages from your friends in your inbox
Respond to messages via email
Who is Epilog for?
Epilog is for anyone who wants to decrease, or stop all-together, their engagement with platforms that weaponize their reward systems against them, but don’t want to disengage their connection with friends and family who use the platform.
Why Email?
Email is one of the most enduring forms of digital communication, having stood the test of time amidst rapidly evolving online landscape.
Epilog Brand Book
About Epilog its visual style, UI patterns, illustration and brand ideology.
Criticism & Existential Threat
If Epilog relies on Meta’s API, and advocates that users leave the platform… can’t they just shut off your API access?
Yes, maybe.
Epilog bridges a gap for people who are frustrated with their experience, so that they can keep Instagram instead of abandoning it all together.
The hope is that Instagram agrees that there is value in that choice, and shares a sincere understanding that designing social media with human-centric interests is always going to be better for us than designing with profit-based or commercial interests.
Realistically, this idea would almost certainly require collaboration and partnership with Meta/Instagram.
How do you expect to convince Meta/Instagram to support Epilog?
A huge majority of Instagram’s user base is resentful and feels lousy about how much time they are spending on the app, and some of them are leaving and deleting their accounts for good.
Instagram has an opportunity to remind folks about the original merits of social media, and to support the well-being of their user base. Offering a slimmer option to engage Instagram without the exploitation is not a negative hit for Instagram—it’s one of the best and most supportive, human-centric choices they could make.
What API and endpoints does Epilog need?
Instagram Basic Display API: basic profile information
Graph API: media (Graph API does not have endpoints for personal account posts, so Epilog would need to be creative, or work with folks at Meta)
Instagram and SM is free because of ads and commercial interests. How would this work if it doesn’t rely on that?
People are going to pay one way of another for what they use and consume. Epilog offers a choice: pay with your time and attention, or pay with a small monetary donation for a simplified experience.
Epilog, if realized, would likely operate as a free service that encourages donation, or membership for premium features.
Isn’t leaving Instagram (an SM) for good the best response?
Maybe, yes. But social media is here to stay, and the challenge is to figure out how to make it work for us rather than pretend it doesn’t exist.
There are also merits to social media, and real benefits—it does connect people and create international networks. If we focus of those positive aspects that are good for us, we can refocus and rewrite what social media can be.
What’s Next?
Epilog is going to take some convincing.
If you made it this far, please add your name to the support list. ❤️