To make the phone start
connecting
people again, not separating them
#HumanePhone
Project
explores how people around the world use their smarphones from morning to night: across different countries, cultures and time zones.
It's so easy to feel disconnected, even though we're more "connected" than ever. The #HumanePhone Project aims to transform that narrative. Our mission is to explore the universal smartphone habits that unite us, transcending borders, cultures, and languages.
We strive to ensure that technology serves as a bridge rather than a barrier. We are committed to promoting ways smartphones can enhance our relationships and genuine connections.
Smartfonowy multitasking is using our phone while doing other things throughout the day and letting the phone’s notifications, updates and information set the pace of our day. With internet access always at hand, smartphones have become part of everyday routines, from getting ready and eating to working, travelling and relaxing.
In 2025, nine out of ten people worldwide use a smartphone. We pick it up every five minutes and touch it more than 2,000 times a day.
Umbrella - Project
The international, interdisciplinary, multicultural and multilingual #HumanePhone project is based at the Institute of Journalism, Media and Social Communication at Jagiellonian University. It is an umbrella project which brings together several research initiatives led by scholars from different disciplines, exploring how smartphones affect the quality of everyday life.
Among other things, the HumanePhone collaboration aims to develop:
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guidelines for promoting digital well-being
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tools to help people improve the quality of their everyday lives
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Collaborate With Us
We welcome researchers, academics, industry professionals, and anyone passionate about fostering genuine connections through technology to join our journey. If you're interested in learning more about our work or exploring collaboration opportunities, please reach out to our project managers!
Research within #HumanePhone
The #HumanePhone project brings together interdisciplinary research across several areas, including:
Smartphones and oral health
More information will be available soon.
Digital Afterlife
A project on griefbots, conducted in collaboration with psychotherapists and physicians from Cordis Hospice in Katowice. More details coming soon.
Book Media: Smartphones and the Promotion of Reading
Research conducted by Monika Urbańczyk, MA, in 2024–2025. One of its first outcomes is a set of recommendations for publishers and new authors. Another is the article “Study with me: StudyTubers in academic libraries,” by Magdalena Hodalska and Monika Urbańczyk, published in The Journal of Academic Librarianship (Elsevier; 200 points).
Inclusivity
HumanePhone is an inclusive project in many ways. In collaboration with the Jagiellonian University Accessibility Centre, we gave a lecture titled “The Smartphone in the Kitchen, Bathroom and Bedroom.” The lecture was recorded with sign-language interpretation for deaf and hard-of-hearing people. The Centre also prepared an audio description for people with low vision or blindness.