It’s no secret I’m a big Death Stranding enjoyer.
I love the first installment, and equally adore its follow-up Death Stranding 2: On The Beach. But why am I mentioning video games in a piece about 2degrees?
It’s about connection you see.
The series from famed auteur, Hideo Kojima, is all about reconnecting not only a broken country, but broken people. While that’s certainly heavier than the idea we’re about to digest, it’s not too far off from what 2degrees want to do with the Ring Ring.
What is the Ring Ring?
Firstly, it’s really fun to say. But secondly, it’s a deliberately low-tech approach at reconnecting people. While we have more ways to stay in touch than ever and are spending more time on our phones, two-thirds of Kiwis say meaningful conversations are getting harder to come by.
Research commissioned by 2degrees shows that:
68% of Kiwis now default to messaging (34%) or social platforms (34%) as their primary communication method, with just 15% regularly making phone calls – despite 77% saying a call with a friend or family leaves them feeling better.”
We’ve been reprogramed. And even though we know what works. What kind of communication makes us feel good. It paints a picture of a very modern tech behaviour gap.
And the Ring Ring fixes this with one simple function: a simple prompt to interrupt the scroll and make a call. And it does so with a a limited-edition thumb ring engraved with a loved one’s phone number.
No battery, no Bluetooth, no tracking.
For 2degrees, “it’s a playful counterpoint to the current wave of wearable tech, instead of tracking your sleep, stress or steps, it nudges a single behaviour that research suggests has an immediate impact on wellbeing and connection.”
And I have to agree. I saw a great post recently that really got me:
That’s right. Pre-age of connection, we paid for ringtones. While you can make them for free now, there’s really no point to it if no one is calling. Outside of scammers and a dreaded family update (because they only call when something bad has happened) of course. While we’re nine times more likely to scroll social media than call someone to say hi (45% vs 5%), that’s a statistic we should flip. Especially when 59% of people say there’s someone they wish they called more often.
If you’d love to win 1 of 10 Ring Ring‘s, you can enter here right now. While it may seem contrived, I think it’s a beautiful and simple solution for a problem we all share right now. And what’s the worst that can happen? They don’t pick up?
I’m sure you have at least 2 other people you could call.
