Saatchi Guangzhou + WeChat follows people challenged to live 12 hours without the App
To show just how enmeshed WeChat is within the daily lives of the China and Chinese community, Saatchi & Saatchi Guangzhou co-operated with the WeChat team to invite 6 people from different backgrounds to join the [WeChat Lab], where they would film their life for 12 hours without WeChat.
“Our world has changed from “I’ll call you” to “I’ll WeChat you” said Saatchi & Saatchi Guangzhou ECD Elaine Young, “WeChat is the main tool through which we connect to each other in our daily lives – despite it only going online 6 years ago. But, where is the line between connected and “over-connected?” Undoubtedly, technology brings us closer, but it also brings us new sets of challenges.”
The 6 films are:
Two colleagues, after hitting it off on WeChat, decided to get together. This kind of fast developing relationship can often lead to a crisis of confidence. [WeChat Lab] invited them to take part in the experiment and live without WeChat for 12 hours. Could they find a way to be together? For these two, love came faster than a sense of security. And, while the video attracted more than 1 million views, the love didn’t last.
Going from smartphone-incapable to WeChat masters, this retired couple from the Northeast uses WeChat as a source of entertainment and familial connection – using WeChat video calls to check in on the children. From nothing to something, from no friends to many friends, this couple seemed addicted to both internet and their smartphone.
They decided to join [WeChat Lab] to challenge themselves to log out for 12 hours. But, how would they spend their leisure time?
Were they really addicted to WeChat? Or, were they addicted to the ability to send their love to children miles away in the blink of an eye? For these parents, they just love to show love.
When most office workers open WeChat, it’s a mixture of friends and colleagues, group chatting about weekend plans or new projects. WeChat seamlessly blends work life with the rest of life, so that the two are no longer at odds – no longer in competition for people’s limited attention.
Ms Qin, a restaurant manager, relies on WeChat 24 hours a day to keep the business going. But, she is also mom to a five-year-old. Both roles are vital, both require nurturing, attention – love – to thrive. How will the [WeChat Lab] affect her life?
For real estate broker Ms. Zhu, WeChat is her livelihood. She uses it daily to connect with prospective clients and arrange her showings. WeChat allows her to connect quickly, easily, and let her leads respond in their own time, saving her embarrassment and them annoyance.
Once inside the [WeChat Lab], how will she replace such a vital tool?
Unread messages are better than thrown out pamphlets, for both Ms. Zhu and the environment. WeChat is her weapon of choice in her daily work and, after her experience in the [WeChat Lab], she now knows just how much more time she would have to invest without it.
With 5,000 friends and 2,000 groups, screenname” Bai Ya (white crow)” is an entrepreneur with a deep attachment to WeChat. For him, there is no difference between work and life. If he is awake, he’s at work. More, if he’s awake, his phone is never out of his hand, the WeChat app always open. Joining the [WeChat Lab]? In the words of his colleagues “that’s insane.”
If his life is a rollercoaster, he’s experiencing one of the most intense sections of track. WeChat is his safety buckle, keeping him on the ride as it speeds on ahead.
Jay is from Detroit, living the expat life in Shanghai. His days are filled with photography, skateboarding, and work. At the same time every day, he is on the phone with family, video chatting from across the International Date Line. During his time in the [WeChat Lab], he missed that daily call – almost causing an international incident in the process.
For Jay, WeChat is a bridge back to his family. It’s a way to keep them involved in his life even though he is thousands of miles away.
All in all, six people took part in the experiment, showing people what life would be like for just 12 waking hours without WeChat. Through these stories, people can rethink the value of WeChat and come to understand the meaning of connection.
WeChat may be the largest social media network in China, but it is still new. At only 6 years old, the app is still a place to experiment, particularly when it comes to user experience. WeChat knows each user’s experience is unique, that its usefulness will be subjective. Therefore, it is constantly looking for new ways to interact with its users, to make their lives easier, to facilitate connection.
“[WeChat Lab] is a hybrid of emotion and science,’ said Saatchi & Saatchi Guangzhou ECD Elaine Young, “To conduct an experiment like this takes courage – to call on users to restrain themselves, have them discover the pains that come with separation in order to understand the connections that make their lives worthwhile. Only WeChat could do this.”
WeChat connects. But, the other side of that coin is separation. As the old adage goes, absence makes the heart grow fonder. An occasional separation can help you to realize what you can’t do without. [WeChat Lab] looks at connection from that side of the coin, highlighting its importance by taking it away. It prompts viewers to think about the connections between people and their phones, people and WeChat, and people themselves in order to realize that the essence of that connection is love.