Project Information
Borrowed Attention is a motion design project exploring how excessive social media use affects our time, focus, and wellbeing. Presented as a short editorial-style film, the project visualizes attention as a limited resource and highlights the consequences of constant engagement. Rather than examining the technology in depth, the piece focuses on the outcomes—lost time, shrinking attention spans, increased anxiety and depression, and greater exposure to misinformation.
Framed as a speculative awareness campaign, the film uses simple metaphors, typography, and motion graphics to make an invisible issue visible. The goal is to encourage viewers to reflect on how their attention is being used and who benefits from it.
Category
Awareness Campaign
2D Motion Design
Styleframes
Concept
The central idea behind the project is treating attention as a finite resource. Because attention itself cannot be seen, the visuals translate it into tangible forms—time disappearing into an endless feed, cognitive space filling up, and focus gradually fragmenting. The narrative mirrors a familiar experience: opening an app briefly and realizing much more time has passed.
Through a mix of editorial animation and information-driven storytelling, the project presents the attention economy as something intentionally designed rather than accidental, encouraging viewers to reconsider how they spend and protect their attention.
Technologies & Tools
The following tools were used:
Gemini for image generation
After Effects for 2D motion graphics and compositing
Premiere Pro for final video editing