About "What The Hell Are People Doing?"

The "What The Hell Are People Doing?" dashboard presents a dynamic, illustrative simulation of estimated global human activities in real-time. It aims to provide a thought-provoking and engaging perspective on how humanity collectively spends its time, visualized through constantly updating statistics and a global day/night map.

Methodology & Data Simulation

The figures presented on the main page are not exact real-time tracking data but are derived from a sophisticated simulation model. This model incorporates several key components:

• Global Population Dynamics: The continuously updating global population counter is based on current aggregate birth and death rates (approximating values such as those from the U.S. Census Bureau International Database or UN DESA). The "live" births and deaths per second are statistically generated fluctuations around these averages to enhance the dynamic feel.
• Activity Baselines: Each listed activity (e.g., Sleeping, Paid Work, Leisure) is assigned a base percentage. These percentages are informed by broad, aggregated data from global time-use studies (e.g., OECD Time Use Database, Our World in Data summaries on time use, WHO statistics for specific habits like smoking). These base values represent a highly simplified global average of how total human time might be allocated to these activities over a 24-hour period, distributed across the entire population (including children, adults, and the elderly, where applicable for specific activities).
• Day/Night Cycle Influence: The simulation incorporates a global day/night cycle, visualized on the world map. This cycle is based on Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). Each activity has defined day and night influence factors that modulate its prevalence. For instance, 'Sleeping' activity increases significantly during local night hours, while 'Paid Work' typically peaks during local daytime hours. This creates a rhythmic ebb and flow in the activity distribution.
• Normalization and Smoothing: The raw percentages derived from baselines and influences are continuously normalized to ensure they always sum to 100%. A smoothing algorithm is applied to create gradual transitions in the displayed numbers, rather than abrupt jumps.
• Local Persistence: The global population counter leverages browser local storage to persist its state between sessions, providing a sense of continuous growth from the user's last visit.

Purpose & Interpretation

This project serves primarily as an artistic representation and for entertainment and illustrative insight. It is designed to:

• Provoke thought about the scale of human activity and shared daily rhythms.
• Offer a unique, dynamic visualization of complex global patterns.
• Engage users with a "live-ish" dashboard experience.

It is crucial to understand that real-world human activity is vastly more nuanced and diverse than any simplified model can capture. Cultural differences, economic conditions, age demographics, individual choices, day-of-the-week variations, and countless other factors significantly impact how people spend their time.

Disclaimer

The data and visualizations presented on "What The Hell Are People Doing?" are based on statistical approximations and a simplified simulation. They are intended for illustrative and entertainment purposes only and should not be used for factual, scientific research, decision-making, or any form of precise analysis. The simulation provides an impression of global activity, not a literal real-time feed.

Back to the Simulation