EmoTrack: An application to Facilitate User Reflection on Their Online Behaviours
This dissertation presents the development and evaluation of EmoTrack, a multi-platform personal informatics application designed to help young people track their YouTube viewing habits and reflect on the impact of their online behaviors on their mood.
Original paper licensed under CC BY 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). This is an AI-generated explanation of the paper below. It is not written or endorsed by the authors. For technical accuracy, refer to the original paper. Read full disclaimer
Imagine your brain is a garden, and the internet is a massive, endless stream of seeds being blown in by the wind. Some seeds are beautiful flowers (funny cat videos, educational tutorials), but some are weeds (doom-scrolling, angry arguments, endless short clips that make you feel empty).
For years, we've been told to just "stop" using the internet or have our parents act as gardeners to pull the weeds. But EmoTrack, the subject of this project, takes a different approach. Instead of acting as a strict gardener, it acts like a smart, friendly mirror that helps you see exactly what seeds you're planting and how they affect your garden's mood.
Here is the story of EmoTrack, broken down simply:
1. The Problem: The "Zombie Scroll"
We all know the feeling: You pick up your phone to check the time, and suddenly 45 minutes have passed. You've watched 20 videos, but you don't remember a single one. You feel tired, anxious, or just "blah."
The internet is designed to be addictive. It's like a slot machine that never stops paying out just enough to keep you pulling the lever. The problem is, we often don't realize which videos made us feel good and which ones made us feel terrible until it's too late.
2. The Solution: A Digital Diary for Your Feelings
EmoTrack is a free app (like a digital diary) designed for young people. It doesn't block videos or tell you what to watch. Instead, it asks you two simple questions:
- "How do you feel right now?" (Before you start watching).
- "How do you feel now?" (After you finish watching).
It's like keeping a food diary, but instead of tracking calories, you are tracking emotional calories.
3. How It Works: The Magic Recipe
The app works in three simple steps, like a recipe for self-discovery:
- Step 1: The Mood Check-in. You open the app, tap "Start," and pick an emoji (Happy, Okay, or Sad). Then you go watch YouTube. When you're done, you tap "Stop" and pick your new mood.
- Step 2: The Time Travel. You download your YouTube history (a list of every video you've ever watched) from Google and upload it to EmoTrack. Think of this as handing the app your "receipts" for the day.
- Step 3: The AI Detective. This is the cool part. The app uses a super-smart AI (like a digital detective) to read the titles and descriptions of the videos you watched. It figures out if you watched "Cooking," "Gaming," or "News."
4. The "Aha!" Moment: The Rainbow Report
Once the app has your mood data and your video history, it creates a Rainbow Bar Chart.
- Green bars mean you watched videos and felt better afterwards.
- Yellow bars mean your mood stayed the same.
- Red bars mean you watched videos and felt worse.
Suddenly, the invisible becomes visible. You might realize, "Wow, every time I watch 30 minutes of 'Drama News,' I feel anxious (Red). But when I watch 'DIY Crafts,' I feel calm (Green)."
5. What Happened When They Tried It?
The creator tested this app with 13 university students for one week. Here is what they found:
- It's easy to use: The students gave it a high score for being simple and friendly.
- It wakes you up: Many students were shocked to see how many videos they watched in a day (some watched over 50!).
- It changes behavior:
- Some students realized they were "addicted" to short videos that made them feel bad, so they decided to watch less.
- One student realized she was being tricked by YouTube's algorithm (the robot that picks videos for you) and decided to stop using the app on her phone entirely, only watching on her laptop to stay in control.
- Others learned to curate their "garden," choosing only the "flower" videos that made them feel good.
6. The Catch (Limitations)
The app isn't perfect yet.
- The "Upload" Hurdle: Currently, you have to manually download your history from Google and upload it. It's a bit like having to mail a letter to yourself to get your own mail. It's a bit clunky.
- The AI Mistakes: Sometimes the AI detective gets confused. If you watch a "Vlog" about cooking, the AI might just label it "Food," missing the nuance.
- Forgetting to Check-in: People are human. Sometimes they forget to tap "Start" or "Stop," making the data a little messy.
The Big Picture
EmoTrack isn't about banning the internet. It's about giving you the steering wheel.
Imagine driving a car with a foggy windshield. You can't see where you're going, so you just keep driving until you crash. EmoTrack wipes the windshield clean. It shows you the road, the traffic, and the weather. It doesn't drive the car for you, but it gives you the information you need to decide: "Do I want to keep driving down this scary road, or should I turn onto a nicer path?"
By helping young people see the connection between what they watch and how they feel, the app hopes to turn "mindless scrolling" into "mindful living."
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