This piece is inspired by this press release.
We joke about technology addictions, but it’s not far from the truth. A recent study found that 20% of individuals would suffer withdrawal symptoms after 24 hours sans digital devices. We talked about how we can put ourselves in control of tech in a recent piece with The Next Web; we see the struggles many of us face unplugging from technology for any period of time. All this is part of what we want to examine with our 2014 Global Theme of Always On, Always Connected: The Future of Now.
In this new international study, researchers looked at what consumers do for 24 hours without any digital devices. Asking 6000 adults online in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, and Australia, “what would you do if you could unplug from technology for 24 hours?”, the results were a little interesting:
- + 17% would use the time to read a real book.
- + 10% would use the time to clean their house.
- + 20% would feel crazy, depressed or suffer withdrawal symptoms.
- + 11% would spend time with their family.
- + 17% would feel more at peace, relaxed and less stressed.
- + 13% would get outside and spend time in nature.
“What this study shows is the areas where we lose out because of our ‘always on’ lifestyle; books sit on shelves gathering dust, quality face-to-face time with family is dwindling, we feel increasingly stressed out and suffer from anxiety induced conditions such as FOMO. Secretly we’re all craving some timeout from technology, and with the holiday season fast approaching, it’s the perfect time of year to think about how we’re going to refresh, recharge and reconnect with ourselves and our families,” — Gemini Adams, founder of The Unplug Series
This is part of the unplugseries.com, that seeks to help they hyper-connected individual remember how to really connect. We love their tongue-in-cheek approach. You can check it out with The Facebook Diet: 50 Funny Signs of Facebook Addiction and Ways to Unplug with a Digital Detox. In the meantime, check out their infographic below.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
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