Publics and Publishing

1. Publics and Publishing Visibility of Caffeine

2. Feeling a little tired this morning? • How many of you grabbed a coffee? Tea? Energy drink? • Maybe your day goes a little like this…

3. http://dailyshotofcoffee.com/the-caffeine-curve/

4. Caffeine Consumption • Many people consume caffeine as it helps keep you energised and get through the day. How many cups or glasses do you have a day? And just how much caffeine is safe? • Caffeine is a socially acceptable drug with many side effects, mostconcerning. The average adult should not consume more than 500mg a day with adolescents recommended no more than 100mg (The American Academy of Pediatrics 2011) • If you don’t have your daily coffee or energy drink many suffer withdrawal symptoms such as headaches, restlessness and anxiety.

5. Invisible to Visible • It is widely known that too much caffeine can harm the human body but who knows exactly how much is too much? If taken in excess caffeine can be extremely detrimental • We aren’t able to physically see the caffeine and nutritional charts on drinks don’t give much to the imagination • It is mostly seen through our behaviour. Caffeine can make us jittery, hyperactive, and cause lack of sleep. After the initial buzz of caffeine wears off we often experience a “crash” making us moody, irritable and fatigued.



6. Caffeine Concentration in Popular Beverages Caffeine (mg) per 30 mls

7. Why should it be more visible? • Even though the effects of caffeine addiction and abuse are known, there have been no uniform standard on what is considered a safe limit for consuming caffeine • People do not completely understand the kinds of impacts and excessive amounts of caffeine they are consuming on a daily basis

8. Making it Visible • The aesthetics of a visualization allows for people to become more aware of their consumption in terms of caffeine. We are able to experience a new way of understanding caffeine content creating a sensory signal of a previously invisible phenomenon. • Rather than caffeine content only being displayed on the label, we can create another kind of form to visually represent it. In doing so, we represent caffeine through a persuasive approach, rather than just hard facts of content. Through this data, we can being to gather information about the life cycles of people and in more complex terms, their health.


9. Which publics does such a visualisation intervene? • This visualization intervenes with many publics and is relevant to anyone who drinks caffeine. However the most important publics such visualization intervenes with are those whose health may be at risk. They include insomniacs, people with heart conditions and obese/ overweight people. • Caffeine contributes to weight gain and obesity? But how? • Too much caffeine puts the body into overdrive and causes stress which releases the stress hormone cortisol, which sends signals to the body to increase energy storage. • This increase in Cortisol releases glycogen and increases your blood sugar levels which can lead to hunger cravings and an increased appetite


10. Continued… • Caffeine impacts an individuals heart. Researchers have found that 4 cups of coffee a day raises blood pressure for several hours. • A long term level of increased blood pressure can contribute to heart disease and premature strokes. • Caffeine also intervenes with people that find it hard to fall asleep. Caffeine inhibits the neurotransmitter called adenosine to be released. By restricting the activity of adenosine, caffeine keeps you up and doesn’t let you sleep.