Lunagotchi
Lunagotchi is an experimental speculative design project that explores the intersection of digital rituals and technological belief systems. Set in a fictional future where technology has become a new form of religion, the project critically examines how data-driven systems influence and reshape human emotion, identity, and faith. Users interact with a glowing digital moon using NFC-enabled physical devices and augmented reality. The moon responds to emotional input such as voice and spoken poetry by changing its brightness and form. When the moon's energy is depleted, users are required to perform a Moon Balancing Ritual. This includes symbolic actions like lighting candles and chanting, intended to restore the moon's glow. The project is inspired by concerns related to the attention economy, algorithmic control, and the commodification of emotion. It challenges how spirituality can be reprogrammed into measurable, systematized behaviors. Lunagotchi is designed for digital natives and those who may embrace future forms of technological belief. It acts both as a critical reflection and a symbolic mirror of the mediated relationship between people and technology. Through this lens, it transforms personal introspection into visual performance and redefines emotional connection as a coded interaction.