Filmed with a BlackBerry: a film about digital loneliness
You see it everywhere: on the train, in the street and at the supermarket. People are together, yet their attention is fixed on their screens. For Maike Moll, that observation became the starting point for her graduation film Generation Loneliness. She is graduating from the beachelor's programme Moving Image at AKI ArtEZ Academy of Art & Design. In the film, she explores how social media affect our sense of connection, concentration and happiness.
From personal frustration to film project
Interestingly, the project did not begin as a film idea. Maike bought an old BlackBerry in the hope of overcoming her phone addiction. 'The idea was that I would only use that BlackBerry. It didn’t work, but I did end up filming a lot with it.'
Gradually, she built up a large collection of footage. The grainy images and limited quality of the phone unexpectedly added something special to the recordings. 'I found it very poetic. It brought a sense of nostalgia.' What started as a personal experiment eventually grew into her graduation film.
'Concentration, memory, motivation, happiness. To me, it’s all connected.'
Together, yet alone
In Generation Loneliness, Maike explores how social media shape our daily lives. Not from a detached perspective, but through her own experiences. 'You only have to sit on the metro once and you’ll see it everywhere. It’s probably the most obvious place where everyone comes together, while at the same time everyone is alone.' The image stayed with her, especially because she struggles with her own phone use as well.
In the documentary, she follows a person with a social media addiction during their recovery process. In doing so, she reveals how difficult it can be to break away from a technology that constantly demands our attention.
The people behind hateful comments
For the film, Maike did not only investigate how social media affect the people who scroll, but also those who respond. She sent private messages to people who post hateful comments online, asking one simple question: why do you do it?
The voice messages she received became an important part of the film. They offer a glimpse into the people behind the comments and show that online behaviour is often more complex than it first appears.
In this way, Generation Loneliness explores not only loneliness and addiction, but also how we interact with one another online.
More than just screen time
For Maike, the topic goes beyond the question of how much time we spend online. During her research, she discovered how many aspects of everyday life are connected to it. 'Concentration, memory, motivation, happiness. How you feel. To me, it’s all connected.'
With Generation Loneliness, she invites visitors to reflect on their own relationship with social media. Not to condemn social media, but to highlight how a technology designed to connect people can also create feelings of isolation.
Premiere of Generation Loneliness
Curious to see the full film? Generation Loneliness will be on view during ArtEZ finals at AKI from 26 June to 7 July.
