Why digital detox can be an impossible goal

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Unless we take refuge in the wild, in a remote place, for a few days without a cell phone, experts say that the total digital detox is no longer feasible for most people. So what’s the alternative? Technology is increasingly intertwined with our lives Getty Images/BBC In February 2023, news broke that the CEO (executive director) of the software company Salesforce, Marc Benioff, did a “digital detox”: 10 days technology-free resorts in French Polynesia. For a small group of people, moving away from their devices is an achievable dream. But for most it is an impossibility, even more so today. READ ALSO: How the brain reacts to app notifications and why they are so addictive Children and teenagers on cell phones: overuse affects the brain and concentration The digital detox requires us to move almost completely away from technology, taking a break from screens, social networks and video conferences for several days. The intention is good: to reduce stress and anxiety and reconnect with the physical world. And while there are no scientifically proven benefits of tech abstinence, the digital detox is now a coveted goal for many people. But that challenge is much harder to accomplish today than it was in 2012, when researchers first used the term. At that time, screens were already important, even with the still incipient versions of applications and social networks. But attempting a digital detox in 2012 would have been much easier than it is now. More than ever, moving away from technology is now impossible. We pay in stores with our cell phones, work on computers and tablets, and maintain relationships with apps. And since the beginning of the pandemic, the connection between life and technology has intensified even more. A digital detox in 2023… where to start? Unless we take refuge in the wild, in a remote place, for a few days without a cell phone, experts say that the digital detox is no longer viable for most people. “Technology is now part of us. We do banking with the app, read restaurant menus on our cell phones and even sweat with exercise instructors through the screen”, says consultant Emily Cherkin, from Seattle, in the United States. She specializes in screen time management. “It’s so embedded in our lives that we’re doomed if we say we’re going to be without a cell phone for a week,” says Cherkin. As people become more and more dependent on technology, the digital detox no longer seems like a reasonable goal. But perhaps there is a more realistic solution, one that reduces our technological obsession without forcing total disconnection. Understand why cell phone notifications addict the brain Screens, screens and more screens As much time as people already spent on their devices before covid-19, the pandemic has further intensified our time in front of screens. People used their devices more during lockdowns, especially as a substitute for other forms of connection. But those habits haven’t ended, even now that we have some freedom to get out of the house and socialize. A 2022 study carried out by the University of Leeds, UK, showed that 54% of British adults use screens more often than they did before the pandemic. The increase in technology use time has changed the way we connect Altieres Rohr/G1 Half of the people surveyed spent 11 hours or more in front of screens every day. And 51% spend more time on screens for fun than before the pandemic, while 27% have increased their use of screens at work. This increase in technology usage time has also changed the way we connect. Key relationships have become more digitized. We form communities in WhatsApp groups and replace twice-monthly family lunches with weekly video calls, for example. Covid-19 caused part of our connections to move to the digital world and many of them continue to exist in these environments offered by technology, such as group chats and video calls. Therefore, digital detox is not just a matter of taking a break from daily chats with your boss — it would also mean cutting ties with your closest and dearest ones for a period of time. Online dating has become more common and has also grown during the pandemic. With that, technology has also become fundamental to making friends. Data from the dating app Bumble indicates that its Bumble BFF function, created for people to meet new friends, has seen a substantial increase in traffic since 2020. By the end of 2021, nearly 15% of Bumble’s 42 million users were already looking for friends on BFF. A year earlier, it was less than 10%, and at the end of 2022, male users increased by another 26%. “Much of today’s technology, for better or worse, is a form of accessibility,” according to writer Chris Dancy, who monitors his connected existence with more than 700 sensors, devices and apps. “For a lot of kids, for a lot of parents, for a lot of partners, for a lot of friends — I hate to say it, but they’ve forgotten how to maintain relationships without her,” says Dancy. Changing perspectives The combined shift to hybrid work and relationships has left the traditional idea of ​​a digital detox not only outdated, but nearly impossible. The digital detox is promoted as an anxiety-releasing cure-all that will take people away from distracting screens and reconnect them with the present moment. But with people’s lives and screens becoming more and more inseparable, the idea of ​​disconnection can bring more anxiety if it can’t be achieved. Experts say total digital detox is no longer viable for most people. from Teesside University, UK. Therefore, the teacher’s approach is different. “For me, it’s more about detoxing the ‘clinging and craving’ of technology.” Joneidy explains that “attachment and desire” is related to a Buddhist concept, according to which people want something because they believe it will make them happy – but in reality, it’s just a dopamine shot. Rather than eliminating technology entirely, Joneidy practices digital awareness. “I make sure my use of technology is purposeful,” he says. Digital consciousness may be something more practical for some people, rather than a total detox: worrying less about cutting technology completely and focusing on more intentional use of it. Rather than being seduced by mindlessly addictive scrolling, Joneidy believes that digitally conscious users can improve their lives with technology, rather than feeling trapped by a device. Even if people can’t get away from screens entirely, experts say paying attention to specific patterns of technology use can help make that activity more purposeful. “I started using a lot of different tracking tools on my cell phone,” says anthropologist Amber Case, from Oregon, in the United States. She noticed that she clicked on Instagram 80 times a day, so she downloaded the One Sec plugin, which makes the user take a deep breath before opening and accessing the applications on the cell phone. It gives the user a moment before logging in and takes them off autopilot. Case also recommends kicking the habit of scrolling your phone in between daily life and suggests that it can be helpful to leave your phone somewhere else when you don’t need it. “People use their cell phones like they smoke a cigarette,” says Case. “They’re taking what could be spare time and filling it with other people’s ideas.” Instead, she advises resting by looking up, allowing yourself to do nothing for a minute. Finally, experts say that the objective should not be to eliminate technology, period, nor to internalize pressure in this regard. People still need to compose texts and send emails, but they can do so without the distraction of veritable wormholes that open up in online content. Dancy calls this approach the “grey detox” — you are neither fully immersed nor fully absent from technology. And there is not just one way. Her techniques include installing apps or plugins to remove all references from social media or even switching phones with loved ones, who may use their screens as a way of intentionally connecting with each other. “Every weekend, I use my husband’s cell phone and he uses mine,” she says. They reply to messages and listen to music on each other’s account. “It’s a way to really immerse yourself in each other’s lives,” says Dancy. Or rather, in digital life, often private. The 2012 digital detox may be outdated if you’re not a billionaire, but that doesn’t mean we’re doomed to endlessly scrolling for the rest of our lives. Rather than bringing more anxiety to us by trying to live without our cell phones for a week, we can look at the inevitable screen time in a way that feels ideal and specific to our lives. Thus, we will not need to look for any resorts in Polynesia. This text was originally published in:

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