In Psychology Today, Anne Fishel, Ph.D. and Tristan Gorrindo, MD, raise questions about “Fasting, Gorging or a Balanced Digital Diet.”
If you think you need a cleanse to clear out the gluttony of too much emailing, texting and using other screens, you may want to celebrate the second annual National Day of Unplugging, which goes from sundown on March 4 to sundown on March 5. This observance is sponsored by Reboot, a non-profit organization aimed at reinventing Jewish rituals and tradition. The idea is to provide a Sabbath, or a day of rest, when we will put down our iPhones, stop checking our emails, and let our calls roll to voicemail in the hopes that we will use this time to reconnect with our families and friends in a tech-free way.
But we think this idea extends beyond just a digital rest. Much like Earth Day, this day of unplugging brings attention to the issue of over-use that can lead to an unsustainable depletion of natural resources. Technology overuses the non-renewable resource of time. According to a 2010 Kaiser Family Foundation study, teenagers spend almost 11 hours a day on a screen. What might kids do for a day if they unplugged? Play board games and musical instruments? Read a book? Talk in an undistracted way to a friend or a family member? Daydream or sleep without being interrupted by a beeping phone? And according to a 2010 Nielson report, American adults are spending almost a quarter of their time on social networking sites and blogs. Would a day of rest lead to having more sex, cooking, or face-to-face conversation?
Read the entire post here.