Stop reading this article. Turn off your computer. Go outside. Still here? It’s OK, the National Day of Unplugging doesn’t start until sundown tonight.
Reboot, a non-profit organization, has issued a challenge to the modern human. Can you go one full day without the internet? Without Twitter? Without Facebook? Can you live without your phone? The Nati0nal Day of Unplugging starts at sundown tonight and ends at sundown on Saturday.
Reboot writes at Causes.com:
“The National Day of Unplugging is a respite from the relentless deluge of technology and information… Shut down your computer. Turn off your cell phone. Stop the constant emailing, texting, Tweeting and Facebooking to take time to notice the world around you. Connect with loved ones. Nurture your health. Get outside. Find silence. Avoid commerce. Give back. Eat Together.”
ABC reports that The National Day Of Unplugging is part of the Sabbath Manifesto, a project that encourages people to “slow down (their) lives in an increasingly hectic world.”
According to CNET this is the third annual National Day of Unplugging. You can sign the pledge to go on a 24-hour detox here.
Are you going to turn off the tech for an entire day? It will probably be harder than you think. A recent study examined how modern people interact with their phones and apparently, about 50% of people are so dependent on their phones that they experience anxiety if it isn’t close by. There’s actually a name for the fear. Nomophobia, the fear of being without a mobile phone.
