Hinge Phonebook and Global Day of Unplugging

About This Project

Summary

The average U.S. adult will spend 44 years of their life staring at screens, fueling a loneliness epidemic and poor well-being. Gen Z craves a break from technology but often doesn’t know where to start. Enter the Hinge Phonebook—a phone-shaped book with 100 pages of ideas for unplugging and connecting in person. Hinge launched the multipart initiative with Global Day of Unplugging, including working with 19 influential Gen Z voices to help young adults focus on their IRL time with others.

Goals & Objectives

75% of Gen Zers agree that time spent in person with others makes them feel less lonely, so our goal was to encourage more moments of quality IRL connection. It’s not enough to encourage people to get off their phones—we wanted to offer free resources that helped them spend that time differently.

Results & Impact

The Phonebook "sold out" in 48 hours - distributing 3,000 free of charge and providing a digital version for offline viewing. Conversation around Global Day of Unplugging grew 200% YOY, driven by press and social media. Also, with Hinge’s support, GDU hosted 103 in-person events globally.