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Nick Plante is a digital wellness advocate, Gen Z organizer, and leader in the fight for young people's rights in the digital age.
Thank you for listening — for more information about ZETA, visit https://www.connectZETA.org
Today we’re joined by Nick Plante — Organizing Director at Design It For Us, a coalition dedicated to advocating for responsible tech that protects the rights of young people in the digital space.
Nick’s journey began with a deep reflection on his personal relationship with tech, especially social media, which led him to study behavior change at Penn. From founding responsible tech startups to consulting for tech ethics organizations, Nick’s mission is to ensure technology serves society and respects our mental health and well-being.
In this episode, Nick shares his journey from researching social media use to organizing for tech accountability, as well as his work with the Strother School of Attention, where he experiments with methods of collective action aimed at protecting attention and promoting digital wellness.
We also explore:
💡 Nick's experience running behavioral studies on social media and tech use
🔧 How his startup experience shaped his understanding of tech's impact
🗳️ Why collective action and Gen Z leadership are essential in tech advocacy
🌍 The importance of designing tech with empathy, ethics, and responsibility
🎧 Spoiler: Sometimes the most radical action you can take is to unplug.
Connect With Nick:
🔗Design It For Us: https://designitforus.org/
👔 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicklplante/
📸Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/designitforus
📝Substack: https://substack.com/@nicktheplant
Find ZETA:
📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/connectzeta
🎵 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@connectzeta
📘 Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/people/ZETA/61562518743584/
📺 YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@connectZETA
👔 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ConnectZETA/
🕓Timestamps
0:00 🚀 Sneak Peek
0:29 🎧 Music Intro
0:35 🧠 Meet Nicholas Plante
3:03 📱 Gen Z, Doomscrolling & The Digital Spiral
8:34 💔 Losing His Dad & Breaking Free from Phone Addiction
18:00 📚 Studying Tech & Gen Z at Penn
25:37 🦠 Research on Disconnection While Under COVID Lockdown
29:36 💡 Turning Research into Startups for Real-Life Connection
37:24 ✊ Fighting for Humane Tech with Design It For Us
48:14 👁️ Mindful Attention with The School of Radical Attention
55:31 🔮 Gen Z’s Role in Shaping the Future of Tech
1:08:55 🌲 Nick’s Favorite Way to Unplug
1:11:31 👋 Outro
