In small groups, participants analyse each persona, adopt their perspective and present their lifestyle to the whole group. In a subsequent transfer, they reflect on their own habits and discuss realistic courses of action in the context of digital use, social pressure and resource consumption.
In a "future phase", the groups further develop their persona and design a version of the digital lifestyle in 2030, considering new technological developments such as AI. The method combines perspective-taking, critical reflection and future design and encourages engagement with sustainable digital behaviour without moral pressure.
Contents
Goals
Participants...
- reflect on their own digital habits and consumption patterns
- understand the connections between digital behaviour, sustainability and social pressure
- practise perspective taking
- develop realistic, future-oriented options for action
- recognise how digital identity can also change with the use of AI
Steps
Preparation
Print out the template with the short descriptions of the personas.
1. Introduction (10 min)
Brief activation: Place personas visibly in the room. Ask the group:
- "Which lifestyles are you generally familiar with?"
Do not jump into the content of the discussion, just gather perceptions.
2. Role phase – adopting perspectives (25 min)
Personas are assigned (not chosen). Small groups of max. 4 persons work on the following topics (and write the results on cards or a poster):
- How does this person live digitally?
- How do you feel? Describe a typical day.What is important to them?
- What are the advantages of their lifestyle?
- Where could tensions arise?
- Where could your lifestyle be problematic?
Suggested Personas
Sophie, 15, trendsetter
Sophie invites young people to discuss the link between digital consumption, social pressure and sustainability.
Ali, 17, gamer & streamer
Step into the world of Ali, a passionate gamer and streamer who constantly upgrades his hardware.
Mia, 16, influencer
Explore the environmental impact of social media use – from streaming and uploading to cloud storage.
Jonas, 18, tinkerer & hobbyist
Jonas likes an alternative digital lifestyle: instead of chasing trends, he repairs, reuses and experiments with open-source solutions.
3. Presentation (30 min)
Presentation of the persona from a first-person perspective. Other groups should ask comprehension questions.
4. Transfer & reality (15 min)
Plenary session. Facilitator collects on a flipchart:
- Where do I recognise myself?
- Which behaviours seem realistically changeable?
5. Future phase – "Persona 2030" (30 min)
Small groups develop a new version of their persona:
- How will this person live in 2030?
- What role does AI play?
- What has become more sustainable?
- What remains the same?
Followed by a short presentation in the plenary.
6. Conclusion (15 min)
Each person formulates:
- one insight
- a possible small change in behaviour
Reflection
- Where do I recognise my own behaviour?
- Which persona seems most realistic?
- What role does social pressure play?
- What is considered status?
- Which digital habits consume resources?
- What would make sustainable behaviour more attractive?
- How does self-presentation influence decisions?
- Who bears responsibility?
- What role do platforms play?
- How is AI changing digital lifestyles?
- What opportunities arise?
- What risks arise?
- What specific insights can I take away?
Variations
Individual work:
- Write an inner monologue of the respective persona
- Create a diary entry from the persona's perspective
Possible guiding principle: "What is on my mind right now?"
Handbook: More than Go with the Flow
- A handbook on Digital Citizenship Education, created in the frame of the project DIYW-ROAD/Competendo. Digital Youth Work - rights-sensitive, open, accessible, democratic.
- Unless otherwise stated, authors and editors of the methods published in the project are Elisa Rapetti, Markus José Plasencia Kanzler, and Nils-Eyk Zimmermann
