DIGITAL DETOX: is there life without the Internet?

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 14:00

Do you panic when your smartphone is dead or left at home? Do you check your email and social media updates at least every minute? Is your heartbeat already beating with the vibration of new incoming alerts? Then you definitely need a digital detox.

Internet addiction today has moved to a new level: the global network has gone beyond the usual computer and settled in our smartphones, facilitating access to an unlimited amount of information, which often does not make any sense. Today our day begins not with a cup of coffee, but with checking the news feed. On average, we check our phones 150 times a day, and 24% of people miss important events as they try to photograph them for posting on social networks.

At first, the entire civilized world was carried away by gadgets and could not live a day without the Internet. Social networks, Skype, Viber, WhatsApp. Then many began to realize that they were really hooked: they began to waste time, to lose themselves, but they could no longer live without a network.

In the United States, a survey was conducted: what is easier to refuse - a toothbrush or a favorite gadget? - Every fifth respondent answered that it would be better to donate a hygiene product! We are not doing any better.

According to statistics, 63% of Russians spend 8 to 12 hours a day on the Internet. The average computer user opens new "windows" 37 times per hour. A study conducted by the Superjob.ru portal showed that even on vacation we are unable to part with laptops and mobiles. Only 11% of vacationers relax without electronics.

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Or here's another well-known situation: you come to a cafe with your friends, and then each of you, instead of having dinner and a nice conversation, begins to check in and upload photos. And then all of you together compose a caption for the photo in order to collect as many likes as possible. What about the popular micro-joke “The wedding was quiet because the restaurant had wi-fi”?

In the words of psychiatrist Edward Hallowell, digital technology is the "new cigarette." It looks like we all need a digital detox.

Digital detox is gradually becoming a fashionable trend. The fear of missing out is being replaced by a new refreshing emotion JOMO (joy of missing out) - the joy of missing events that do not concern you personally. The insight of a person is simple - “I can afford not to know everything that is written on the social network, but to spend the saved time and energy on myself”.

There are more and more hotels in the world where you can take a break from digital technologies. For leaving all devices at the reception desk, you will receive a 15% discount. An additional bonus in a crisis.

Traditional "interlocutors" are called upon to replace gadgets: books, outdoor and board games. Some rooms even lack TVs and landlines.

At the same time, a gadget-free vacation is being advertised among fans of technical devices - on Twitter and Facebook.

The Digital detox trend has also shown itself in marketing. Brands have embraced the trend and leveraged people's desire to disconnect from the internet in their advertising campaigns.

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So, in America, the Burger King snack chain promises a free wapper to everyone who removes 10 of their friends through a special application and reports it on Facebook.

Coca-Cola filmed a video about how people, because of the Internet, stop communicating with loved ones, become alienated and distracted. The idea used in the video is simple - “In the modern world, everyone is so keen on virtual actions, the development of their virtual profiles, that they lose touch with reality and living people around. Coca-Cola brings you back to reality and gives you a reason to communicate in the real world."

The JWT agency has organized special shops for KitKat in Amsterdam, around which there is no wi-fi. On the benches, you can calmly chat and have a snack with chocolate.

An interesting move was used by Diesel to promote the classic YUK sneakers. Pre-internet shoes promo campaign raffles off YUK sneakers, which were produced in 1993. To become the owner of shoes, you need to give up the Internet for three days and not write a single post. The site provides interesting statistics - most of the contestants dropped out after 17 hours, having written something on the social network.

How to get rid of Internet addiction? Our heroines experienced a new trend - digital detox - and shared their experience with us.

Anastasia Lykova (23 years old):

I spent too much time on social media. She was constantly only in the virtual world, completely lost her sense of reality. I forgot to eat, didn't get enough sleep, and spent little time with my family and friends. Even on vacation, in Bali, I was surfing the Internet, because it is imperative to check into Foursquare and upload new photos to Instagram. And then I realized - I need to be treated! It's a disease! Now I try to go out with my laptop, walk in the park - yes, right with my computer. Like a dog! So I combine business with pleasure. I am not yet able to completely overcome Internet addiction. But, as you know, water wears away a stone.

Maria David (26 years old):

There was a time when I suffered from Internet exhibitionism. She posted her every step. I shared experiences, thoughts, dreams and events that happened in my life. As it turned out, many people like to watch this kind of "diaries". At first I wrote to VKontakte, but I deleted my page for personal reasons. After “moving” to Twitter, my feed turned into a Mexican TV series: in addition to solving work issues there and sharing news with my 11,000 followers, I myself did not notice how very wide I “opened the door” to my personal life. My virtual addiction ended in an instant. I realized that I spend all my free time telling strangers about my life … which is passing me by. She was, but I did not feel her as I needed, with full breast. Therefore, I deleted my account. But because of my work, I had to return to VKontakte, since some work issues of journalism have to be resolved exclusively through social networks. After several months of rest, my head was blown off again.

I was so open-minded that, without suspecting it, I launched a time bomb - I was again drawn into the Internet.

Moreover, if at first you enter into discussions, find new friends and like-minded people, then later, with each kilometer post, you lose more and more energy. The day after two or three texts I was like a squeezed lemon. The situation resolved itself when my publisher began to rush me to write the book. I realized that if I didn't get my writing skill on track, I would be blown away like a balloon. After deleting all posts, in a week I felt all the thrill of real life. When you don't run to the phone or laptop to write about something, but experience it in real life. Now I periodically post photos and go to my page to reply to messages from friends and subscribers. Many people ask me to start writing again and talk about what is happening with me, but for the time being I am more comfortable this way - leaving a little space for myself and my personal life in the shadows.

Liza Dneprova (29 years old):

When I started having problems in my family, I plunged into virtual reality. I spent all my free time on the Web. I talked on forums, read women's websites. It saved me from real problems, as it seemed to me then.

As a result, six months later, I divorced my husband and lost my job. My life was crumbling, and again I was looking for salvation on the Internet. And she fell into even greater depression. I stopped leaving home, meeting friends, I was not looking for a job … The Internet has become my zone of calm and comfort.

My sister saved me. She bought tickets to Rome and almost forcibly took me to Italy. She made me leave my laptop and even my phone at home! Already on the plane, I began to break the Internet. It seemed to me that all the most important things are happening now there, in my favorite forums, and I cannot take part in this … But when we arrived in Rome, Italian men and pasta made me forget about everything. And what kind of shopping is there! After a couple of days, I forgot about my addiction. But I remembered what the sun is, long walks and what happiness it is to see people's real smiles, not emoticons. My sister and Rome saved me! When I returned, I found a job. In the evenings, I now go on dates or meet up with my girlfriends.

Angelina Dubrovskaya (25 years old):

When I calculated that out of 15 hours of wakefulness I spend about 12 on the Internet, I realized that I wanted to get rid of addiction. No, I do not change avatars and statuses every day, but it is on the network that I make friends, swear, communicate, and on this side of the monitor I live as if on autopilot. Even when I am sitting in a cafe with friends or at a movie with a loved one, I make notes on Twitter and post photos on Instagram. And so I made myself a weekly "fast". I have willpower and I really got through that week! True, I consider such measures to be critical. It was difficult, but as a result, I began to sleep more, spend more time with my beloved man, and we had less quarrels. On the other hand, I suffered from a lack of useful information. Recipes for pies, new series of your favorite TV series … This "post" helped to understand when Internet surfing is justified and when not. Now I spend a maximum of 2 hours a day on the Internet.

Polina Firsova (26 years old):

When I was expecting a child, I spent all my time at home. I read articles on the Internet about how to prepare for the birth of a child, take care of a baby. I sat on forums for expectant mothers. I looked at clothes for little ones and photos of children. Even when my husband came home from work, I could not immediately switch off. We began to quarrel quite often. He said that I completely stopped paying attention to him. And I didn't know how to explain that all these forums help me get rid of the fear of the upcoming birth. I got rid of addiction the day our son Mark was born! Now I have absolutely no time to surf the Internet, because everything has to learn in reality, and it takes a lot of time. But we are the happiest family!

Victoria Isakova (38 years old), actress:

I recently arranged a digital detox for myself. Two weeks without Facebook - and life immediately began to play with different colors, a lot of time appeared. After all, all this is such a grandiose self-deception: every day we correspond on social networks, consoling ourselves with the illusion that in this way we are involved in the lives of friends whom we do not see for a long time. But until we hear the voices of loved ones, until we see each other in person, we cannot be sure of all these successful photos and emoticons in messages. What is behind this? Unclear. Although I'm, of course, a maniac in this regard, unfortunately, I really love both Facebook and Instagram. And I also like to take selfies. Therefore, after two weeks, I returned to the network. But she promised herself that from time to time they would give themselves a break from Internet communication.

Artyom Letushev, psychologist, business coach:

If you are addicted to the Internet, ask family and friends to help you or consult a psychologist. Try limiting your online time (if it's not work-related). Gradually reduce your VR experience by 30 minutes. Set the alarm, and when it rings, go out of the Internet, call your friends, parents. Or go on a date with the man of your dreams. It is better to go to a museum, take a walk, see the sights of your city than to look at this world through a computer monitor. You are not a soulless machine, you need lively emotions and impressions. You need to breathe air, look at the sky or leaves, hug your loved one … The Internet can help improve your financial situation, give you a job, but human joys will never replace. Life is too short and interesting to live it online.

Stars who adhere to digital detox:

George Clooney states that he would rather have a prostate physical examination live on TV than register for a Facebook account.

It is better to go to a museum, take a walk, see the sights of your city than to look at this world through a computer monitor.

After candid photos Scarlett Johansson were stolen by hackers, the actress eschews not only social networks, but also modern technologies in principle.

Earlier Kate moss I could spend hours surfing the Internet, studying the pages of colleagues in the shop and reading gossip. But recently together with her husband Jamie Hinsom the girl decided to try digital detox and … was delighted with this way of life. Now the catwalk star looks online only to reply to a few business emails and a quick glance at the news.

Johnny Depp periodically escapes from civilization to his personal island, where he turns off all gadgets in order to enjoy unity with nature and feel like a real pirate of the Caribbean.