Better Off: When Should Pervasive Displays be Powered Down?

Abstract

Digital displays are a ubiquitous feature of our public spaces– both ever present, and “always on”. In this paper weuse a combination of literature survey, experimental work,and stakeholder interviews to consider if maximising theamount of time such displays are powered on is truly advantageous.We challenge existing practice by considering argumentsfrom the perspectives of multiple stakeholders (viewers,passers-by, content creators and signage owners), andidentify multiple facets for consideration including levels ofattention, cognitive load, impact on social interactions, energyand financial costs, advertising revenue, perceptions offailure and the pressures of creating valuable content