We’re addicted to media and technology. News at 11.
What’s unnerving, and a touch depressing, is what we say about it when we’re forced to disconnect, even if it’s only for 24 hours.
In a global science study headed by the International Center for Media & the Public Agenda and the University of Maryland, students in nine countries including the US, UK, and China were asked to switch off all digital media for a day.
No TV, no phones, no computers. No Twitter. No Facebook. No checking in anywhere. No text messages, no TV.
Each participant kept a diary of their thoughts and feelings during the experiment. The extracts from those diaries include things like:
“The silence was killing me.”
And:
“Even in my dreams I see myself chatting, using Skype, Twitter, and adding people on Facebook.”
And:
“I didn’t realize it would be so isolating.”
The study concludes that more people should try the same experiment, simply because it helped participants become more aware of their addiction and of the choices they make every day. Cutting out all media for a while can help people make better choices about work and play in the long run.
(Via The Daily Telegraph)