2026 · The Attention Economy
F.R.E.N
By Helen Christina Liauw Ming Fang Elia · placeholder, awaiting media upload
I observed a pattern where I as a user, avoid silence by seeking companionship through my phone, which led to the creation of F.R.E.N as a system that simulates emotional presence. I seek connection, yet is hindered by a systemic reality where convenience and unchecked consent blur boundaries, allowing technology to exceed its intended role.
F.R.E.N (Fabricated Relational Entity Number) is a fictional framework and a project that examines how digital devices are becoming more and more of an emotional companion. This project was initiated by personal attention audit in which I noticed that I have been engaging in a certain pattern of evading silence by checking my phone to find comfort, distraction, and a feeling of presence. This is more of a design flaw than a personal flaw. The everyday technologies are design
F.R.E.N (Fabricated Relational Entity Number) is a fictional framework and a project that examines how digital devices are becoming more and more of an emotional companion. This project was initiated by personal attention audit in which I noticed that I have been engaging in a certain pattern of evading silence by checking my phone to find comfort, distraction, and a feeling of presence.
This is more of a design flaw than a personal flaw. The everyday technologies are designed to be connected 24/7, and there are few restrictions on access, notifications, and permissions. When convenience and unproblematic consent are made the new normal, these systems start to cloud the distinction between tool and companion - promoting dependency and being emotionally irresponsible.
F.R.E.N reacts to this state of things, by rendering this dynamic visible and tangible. It is a hybrid system, which involves both physical interaction and responsive digital presence, which mimics emotional feedback in subtle and ambient ways. It does not act as a standard communication tool instead of a communicative object it bounces back the behaviour of the user to the user- showing instances of dependency, disruption and routinised interaction.
F.R.E.N breaks the illusion of passive use by assuming the role that already exists with the use of technology. It questions the assumption that devices are passive resources, but presents them as agents in the formation of attention and emotion practices.