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Some seem to think so, which is part of the reason why 'digital detox'
camps have suddenly come into existence. What's digital detoxing? Glad
you asked, it's essentially a retreat you go to where you completely
relinquish your technological tethers, no computers, no phones, no
smartwatches, not even a solitary FitBit.
It's an intriguing idea, if not a particularly revolutionary one, after
all that's how weekend retreats used to work by default, back when none
of this technology was as portable, or permanently hooked up to the
grid. There are a few examples of this that are just retreats which give
you the option of uncoupling yourself from the web, but many newer
iterations do actually make it their main prerogative, such as Camp
Grounded.
Camp Grounded has 4 sites: Mendocino in California, Cold Spring in
upstate New York, Hendersonville in North Carolina and Marble Falls in
Texas. All of them follow the same ethos - beautiful surroundings,
activities that make adults feel like big kids and absolutely zero
internet or digital access until you leave.
It's an intriguing idea, but is there any merit to it beyond a few days
bumming around in forests and lakes? Seemingly there very much is.
Evidence has suggested that people who take more time out from their
digital proclivities forge better relationships, have improved mental
health and are generally more productive. Like the Radiohead song, but
without the deliberate irony.
Many companies have actually adopted digital detoxing as a form of
company vacation, which will sound familiar if you've ever seen The
Thick of It. More and more, digital dependency is becoming a recognised
condition among psychologists, and social media has a particularly
active roll in it. The need to scroll through a news feed several times a
day, watch a status update to see the likes trickle in, or even just
wait to see when someone sees a message are all on the more severe end
of the spectrum.
The beauty of 'digital detoxing' is that it needn't be something you
have to seek out. It's as simple as just taking some time away from
screens, for a few hours, a day or a weekend, as long as people know
they won't be able to get hold of you. You could even just turn all your
push notifications off so that only calls and texts come through,
cutting out anything that you can wait to look at until later. Give it a
try some time, you might find yourself feeling very refreshed, and less
square-eyed.
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