View source

<div align=justify>Could you survive 24 hours without checking your phone, email or social networks? A movement has been making the rounds online that encourages people to take a digital detox for 24 hours starting at sunset on Friday, March 23.


The National Day of Unplugging — which is in its third year — runs from sundown Friday, March 23 to sundown, Saturday, March 24. With 66% of people claiming they are addicted to the Internet, the day was designed to get people back to re-connect with family, friends and oneself, away from technology.

“Shut down your computer,” the pledge states. “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. ”

The movement — which was developed by a Jewish organization called Reboot — gets its roots in Judaism’s Sabbath tradition, where people unplug for 24 hours starting each Saturday. Nearly 1,200 people have signed the pledge via Causes.com.

Recently, more than 200 people attended Reboot’s SXSW Unplugging Party, shutting off their cell phones and putting them into sleeping bags in the middle of the 2012 SXSW Interactive Festival — one of the most plugged-in places in the world.

“Technology overuse takes an immeasurable toll on our ability to give time to the things that are most important in our lives,” Tanya Schevitz, communications manager for Reboot, told Mashable. “We can then use that time to be present and engaged in the moments that are happening around us and build meaningful, in-person connections.”

Some people have been powering down for an extended period of time over the past few years. In fact, Jennifer Rauch, a communications professor at Long Island University, recently spent six months with no computer or cellphone. She now teaches a course in which she requires her students to give up their devices for a day.

Meanwhile, Caribbean nation St. Vincent and the Grenadines is challenging travelers to leave smartphones, tablets and other gadgets behind as a part of their new digital-detox vacation package, complete with a guidebook explaining how to function on a trip without tech, and a life coach.

“We often seem to forget that we once survived without Facebook, Twitter, mobile phones and the Internet,” Schevitz said. “The National Day of Unplugging gives us permission to unplug and recharge ourselves for just 24 hours. Everything will still be there when we return.”

However, plugging in isn’t all about shutting off from the outside world — a lot of good can come from staying connected. From keep up on social good initiatives such as KONY and Movember to just staying in touch with friends and loved ones through the web and social media, some might argue that unplugging could actually further isolate you from the world.

Would you be able to go 24 hours without technology? Which device would you miss most? Let us know in the comments.</div>

''Taken from http://mashable.com''

<comments />{{:{{TALKSPACE}}:{{PAGENAME}}}}
Talk:National Day of Unplugging (view source)
Return to National Day of Unplugging.
Retrieved from "http://myidealhost.com/tutorials/National_Day_of_Unplugging"
Navigation

Search
