[researcher][00:00] Hello. This interview follows your two week participation in our study on Instagram usage and your mobile banking app. Thank you for completing the local countries. Today, we'll talk through some questions, reflections and feelings about your experience. Just a quick reminder that this interview is being recorded as outlined in the consent form. If you have any concerns about that, like, please let us know. And of course, you are free to skip any questions at any time if it makes you uncomfortable. 

[researcher][00:29] So to start with, could you tell me about your main hobbies or activities that you enjoy in your free time? 

[participant][00:38] Yeah, first of all, hi, I hope you're doing good. So basically, my main hobbies, I'm really into sports, investing and cooking, which I would try like, I spend a lot of my time and my free time, at least if not, if I'm not in uni, spending, like, my time in these, in these hobbies, or, like, it could be on Instagram, and it could be like, actually doing them. So, but yeah, mainly, that's it.

[researcher][01:10] Is there any way that your mobile app or your Instagram or your banking app supports or interfere with these hobbies?

[participant][01:21] Yeah, so for for the Instagram, it really helps me. For the three hobbies, for the three hobbies, when it comes to investing, you can see, like, because, like, I'm not usually stuck on my banking app, you know, with the classes and everything. So basically, sometimes you open just to distract yourself, and you see, like, some news on the stock market going on. So you check your bank again, and you adjust and same. It's a bit actually different, because for the like sports and and cooking, it's more about the content. You could like, see some new exercises, like, can really adjust in your program. And same for cooking, it's like new recipes, which helps, like, also adjust the recipe to have good food.

[researcher][02:15] Okay, so have you ever set any screen time limits or similar controls on your phone to manage the usage of either of these apps.

[participant][02:26] Yeah, probably for Instagram and sometimes, not gonna lie, when it comes to the banking app too, because at certain point, you know, it gets addicting like to wake up and check your investments and same for Instagram, but usually I set it around an hour maximum when I'm when I'm on vacation, and if not, it's like thirty minutes, but, but like thirty minutes sometimes I don't, like, check my phone on Instagram. Like, I don't spend my time that much on Instagram when I have, like, exam, exam season and everything. So basically, yeah, 

[researcher][03:07] Okay, so while you complete the log book entries over these two weeks, did you notice any emerging patterns, like, while doing this in the last two weeks?

[participant][03:23] Can you please repeat the question?

[researcher][03:25] While doing the entries in the last two weeks, did you notice any emerging patterns while using the apps, like, what time did you use or where did you use the apps?

[participant][03:37] Okay, so basically, whenever I'm bored during class breaks, we get five minutes. So I usually try to distract myself in these five minutes. And while going to uni in the morning, and same like evening, after, after,the day is said and done, and we get back home, in bed, you start scrolling. And again, procrastination hits, but, but, yeah, usually, like, that's an emerging pattern I could really like, think about now is usually when I'm in class and I'm tired already from like, I'm bored, and then I check my Instagram and, like, the thing is, it gets really tiring to do it again. Like, to focus on, like, the second part of the course.

[researcher][04:31] Okay, so you'll already talked like, what prompted you to open Instagram? It was boredom. What about your banking app? What was the reason you open your banking app most of the time,

[participant][04:44] Okay, so, yeah, I skipped that part in the last question. But for the banking app, actually, it's more straightforward, because, like, you only check your banking app unless it's for investments, you know, and you receive notifications. But, if not, then I usually check it around around the day, you know, because if you're, if I'm spending my day in the library, for example, studying, I will go and grab a coffee. So I'm just going to check, like, quickly, my my balances, you know, to avoid getting there, and my card is being declined. But it's, yeah, it's more straightforward, unless I have payments to do, a subscription. Yes, yes. So that's it probably.

[researcher][05:28] Okay, so did you ever find yourself switching directly from one app to another app? If so, like, what was the reason? For example, you might have seen an ad on Instagram, then check your banking app, or, like, looked at your banking app then looked at Instagram for any reason, is there anything like this?

[participant][05:48] Yes, actually, there's like, I have two examples on my mind, if I could recall them. It's like, the last two weeks. I don't know if like, you like invest, like you're into investing, but the crypto market wasn't going like, so like it wasn't performing so well. So every time like or silver, like it was performing very well, on the other hand, and every time like, we receive notifications on Instagram, because, you know, like, you avoid like, I distract my I do the investments, and I distract myself. So when I look on my Instagram like some post about trading, then I immediately switch to adjust my investments, and regardless if it's silver or crypto. And another example I have in my mind is shopping or for the Black Friday, since it was like last two, last two weeks ago. Actually, when they post like, for example, I shop online, and when they post that the website is now open for your orders. So just before opening, before transitioning, you check your balances, okay, my money is ready. And then you go to the website and shop immediately. And this is caused mainly by the by the Insta ad, you know.

[researcher][07:03] Okay, so you talked about a lot of things there. Did you notice any emotional changes, like, before, during or after using either app? 

[participant][07:12] Yeah, like, of course there is emotional like, like, the emotion changes. Sometimes it could be disappointment, and sometimes, like, it could be disappointment. Imagine if you, like, saw something during sales, and you said, Okay, now I bought a lot of stuff, so let's just keep some money till the end of the month, you know? So it'd be a bit disappointed. And I don't know if I answered your question, right?

[researcher][07:43] Yes, yeah, it's okay. It's okay.

[participant][07:46] So disappointment, disappointment is a huge part. But on the other, on the other hand, if, like, your investment is really going well, so you'd be happy, you know what I mean, like, it's a different.

[researcher][07:59] Yes, okay, so your actual usage of your data was you used Instagram thirty-eight minutes per day, and your banking app, three and a quarter minutes per day, which you already learned this from another interview with one of my colleagues. So how did this information made you feel? And like, did you expect this before you were revealed with this information?

[participant][08:31] To be honest with you, for the banking app, I was expecting this because, like, the way I controlled it before, like, at some point I was it was spending more than thirty minutes on banking app. So what I did is, like, I split my like, the one I invest in and the one that is actually my bank account I know, like, the way the one I invest in is Revolut, you know, and and my banking app is a different one. So just to avoid, you know what I mean, my daily checkups and my investing, because investing is a hobby, so I split it and for the Instagram, to be honest, I'm not that, like, I'm surprised. To be honest, I thought it like, I thought it's gonna be around fourty-five minutes or fifty but thirty-eight is really good.

[researcher][09:18]  Okay, and knowing your actual result. Like, do you think participating in the study will change anything in your usage of these apps in the future?

[participant][09:31] Yeah, probably when it comes to Instagram, I'm gonna, like, try and avoid, for example, when I'm tired in class and checking my phone like, it's like, you need twice the energy to focus again. So what I'm gonna do, like next time, for example, I'm tired in class, just avoid distracting myself on social media. You know, because of the whole dopamine thing, it's actually like, true and it like. You need extra motivation to focus more and more way than before, just to, like, get back the same to get the same results. So yeah, I will avoid using it when I'm tired, to be honest. And in exam season.

[researcher][10:13] Okay, thank you very much for your answers, for for all of the questions. And is there anything else that you observed during this study that has not been covered in these questions, but you feel relevant to mention?

[participant][10:29] I think no, because I already like mentioned the like this, like what I observed in a different interview. But thanks again for for the for the interview, and that's it. Have a nice day. 

[researcher][10:47] You too. 

[participant][10:49] Bye.