The Dring Dring collective was born during confinement in spring 2020. Founded by two young people, Héloïse and Pierre, it testifies to the possibilities of changing, for the better, our relationships with others and with nature after confinement.
Dring Dring! for the sound of the phone and notifications that fall at more or less close intervals: the name of the collective amusingly denounces our relationship with our smartphone.
Héloïse Pierre wanted to found this collective for “cultivate real relationships in real life, especially in a post confinement world where people are wary of social contact. Meeting people takes courage, and the screens don't allow you to express a real face-to-face relationship. ” Héloïse also founded Etikya, an association which campaigns for a more ethical web. It warns about the protection of personal data, the effects of digital on health and the environment.
It is through this prism that she became interested in the effects of the mobile phone in our lives. Indeed this practical object is also very addictive, with deleterious consequences on our relationship to the world.
This is also what Pierre, the other co-founder of the collective, says. In his testimony on the Dring-Dring site, he lists the beneficial effects that he observed by gradually eliminating his cell phone.
Together, they decided to raise awareness among phone users by launching the challenge “Drink with your friends, not with your mobile phone! “
The challenge
The challenge is simple in the idea: leave your phone off or at least silently at the bottom of your bag when you meet with friends or family. Not so easy, when you know that there is a word today that designates the fear of being without your phone at hand: nomophobia. 50% of French people say they dedicate their first morning gesture to their smartphone, and only 28% of respondents say they can do without their phone for a whole day. (Yougov studies for WeFix from December 2019).
However, this challenge teaches you to reconnect with a real contact, without being disturbed by one or a potential third person who would intervene by telephone.
Pierre, co-founder of the collective, has himself completely stopped using a mobile phone. He lists the benefits he felt in a long testimony on his blog: saving time by no longer being on social networks, saving money, more ecology …
To start using his phone less, Pierre gives advice not to be panicked without all the practical tools that this object contains:
- plan your route in advance, and don't hesitate to ask for directions (another challenge for some) to replace the GPS function,
- buy a real alarm clock so that you no longer need to use your phone's alarm clock,
- use a camera to capture those good times.
The collective is also associated with the label "Léves les pommes", which lists bars which are committed to promoting a reasonable use of the telephone. Tips for leaving your phone in your bags longer!
by Mathilde Wattecamps