Hinge’s Phonebook is a guide for Gen Zers looking to unplug

With the mission to create a less lonely world, dating app Hinge is releasing a pocket-sized guide aimed at Gen Z users who find it challenging to break away from social media. Hinge Phonebook is a phone-shaped book with more than 100 designed pages with ideas that aim to inspire audiences to be more in the moment and enjoy activities offline. It’s built around the Global Day of Unplugging on March 1. The Phonebook was produced by the social impact and creative team at Hinge. “It was created with a number of creative and what we were calling ‘connection catalysts’ from a range of different disciplines,” said Jackie Jantos, chief marketing officer of Hinge. “Whether it was someone who designed one of the actual pages or someone who offered an idea for one of the pages, all of the work was created with a variety of other organizations and people.” The book includes more than 19 collaborators, including chef DeVonn Francis, creative collective Aerthship, MOLD Magazine and drag queen hostess Steak Diane. Studio Yukiko and Unplug Collaborative are also credited. The goal of the book stems from the efforts of One More Hour, Hinge’s program that aims to address loneliness across the Gen Z audience and encourage them to embrace and include more in-person experiences in their lives. Hinge launched the initiative last December with the announcement of a $1 million fund dedicated to groups and organizations that can help Gen Z feel like they belong and have a community in real life. The Hinge Phonebook includes activities such as birdwatching tips, drawing prompts, meditation instructions, fun cat collages, educational data, a recipe for lomo saltado and a dinner party idea. In a recent study conducted in collaboration with Gen Z research firm DCDX, Hinge discovered that 33% of young adults find it challenging to detach from social media and prioritize face-to-face activities. “We know that many Hinge daters are Gen Z, and loneliness has been called a public health crisis by the surgeon general, and it disproportionately impacts this audience. And we also know that at the heart of that loneliness crisis really is the amount of time Gen Z has been spending on screens,” said Jantos. Hinge’s pocket-size activity guide comes as a direct response. “We have a principle at Hinge that is to create things with, not for, the audiences we see ourselves in service of. For this book and everything we do is grounded by research,” said Jantos. These companies include DCDX and the Coalition to End Social Isolation & Loneliness. “We are not developing content that we think Gen Z might need, but we’re developing content with the audience itself that naturally brings a level of credibility and usefulness to the group,” added Jantos. There will be 2,000 physical copies of the phonebook available on Hinge’s One More Hour website, and it can be viewed and downloaded for free.

Hinge’s Phonebook is a guide for Gen Zers looking to unplug

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