Telecom firms (including Verizon and Nokia) have been telling us for some time now that we shouldn't be spending all our time staring at our screens, and that sometimes it's healthier to put your phone away. (In fact, the backlash against social media at the moment is such that we wouldn't be surprised if Facebook itself did a campaign telling us to get offline and outside.) 

However, a new ad from Swedish provider Telenor is unafraid to make the argument for, not against, screen time. It tackles prejudices against achievements that take place online and not "IRL"—for example, being an e-sports champion, finding success in online dating, or kids benefiting from screen learning or playing with electronic toys.

In another scene, a woman swipes right on a dating app after her mother tells her to go out and meet someone in real life—and swipes the guy right into her church wedding. There are real-life examples too: one of the world’s biggest e-sports stars, Olof “Olofmeister” Keijber, appears in the ad as well as influencer and model Cajsa Wessberg, who laughs at the idea that "this is not a real job." The spot ends with the line: "The world has changed. Have you?"

“There’s a common belief that the online achievements and activities are less valuable than IRL ones. We don’t believe that and with this campaign, we want to encourage people to reflect on what their attitudes actually say about them,” says Linda Wetterborg, tribe lead, sales and marketing at Telenor.

The film was created by Acne and directed by Adam Hashemi via Bacon.