Spring Sunday: Time For Some Digital Detox

27 Apr Spring Sunday: Time For Some Digital Detox

A crowd of about 100 people was gathered for a surprise birthday party, whispering in hushed voices, waiting for the guest of honor to arrive. There were dozens of iPhones held aloft, waiting to capture the moment, and one exasperated woman said, “C’mon, put your phones away.”

So many people were busy capturing the moment that they weren’t enjoying the actual moment. Instead of taking part in what was happening they were watching it through a viewfinder.Most of us are guilty of this on some level, the obsession with screens. Americans watch too much TV, we spend too much time on the Internet, and we are more engaged by our smart phones than we are by the world around us. And even though these devices do offer a connection with world around us, they still distract us from our immediate environment. At the coffee shop, in line at the bank, or walking down the street, it seems like everyone’s head is down, sucking in some screen time. We’re ignoring meaningful human interaction, forgoing actual conversations, and forgetting to look at the things, people, and places closest to us. We’re somewhere else.

That’s probably part of the appeal—being somewhere else. I telecommute for all three of my jobs, and there are definitely some perks to the whole virtual office deal. But it’s overwhelming how much time I spend staring at a computer screen every day. I have five separate email accounts and I always have two different Internet browsers open at the same time to navigate between them all. I’m often so impatient waiting for a document or a photo to download, or an application to open, that I resort to using my iPhone while I wait. While one screen is processing my last request, the screen on my phone lets me check my email or search the web for something. And I’m not alone—while adults often have to work on computers, kids are logging an incredible amount of screen time, even without jobs. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, children spend an average of seven hours a day in front of screens. And it’s not just kids—according to a report on NPR, parents are spending too much time on their mobile devices and not enough time interacting with their own children.

The report was heartbreaking. I hate to think about missing out on any of the real moments with my kids, my family, and my friends because I can’t tear my attention away from my phone or my computer. This summer I am going to try a digital detox: shut off my phone when I go for a hike or a bike ride. Limit the amount of time I spend on my computer every day. Turn off the screens and turn up the volume of my real life. Because no matter what you’re watching on a screen, no matter how great that youtube video is, it doesn’t even come close to the real thing.