Enjoying Digital Detox Week?

April 22, 2010 -

If you’re like us, you were probably completely unaware that this was the week we were all supposed to turn off our computers, phones and game machines as part of Digital Detox Week.

The movement is the work of anti-consumerist group Adbusters and kicked off on April 19 (it ends April 25). Adbusters writes that “Whether it is texting, gaming, downloading or emailing, so much of our time is spent in the virtual realm.” Fortunately though, the group writes, “… the off button is easy to find.”

Ryan Van Cleave, a recovery consultant that works with ex-addicts, imparted some warnings about unplugging from the digital world cold turkey, telling the DailyBeast that the idea of Digital Detox Week is “unimplementable” in today’s connected society.

For the current generation, he continued, “… there's no difference between having a conversation over the table at Starbucks or IMing a friend they've never met in person who's a thousand miles away. To them, there's no quality difference between these two forms of social interaction.”

Van Cleave is also no stranger to videogame addiction and claims that upon finally cancelling his World of Warcraft, he considered suicide. A book about his game addiction, entitled Unplugged: My Journey Into the Dark World of Videogame Addiction, is due out this June.

This is the second year that Adbusters has promoted Digital Detox Week. Another of its engagements—Buy Nothing Day—encourages people around the globe to participate “simply by opting not to participate in the annual consumer spectacle.”

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Comments

Re: Enjoying Digital Detox Week?

Submitted by SeanB on Sun, 04/25/2010 - 12:40.

From the website

" Share this 60 second animation about our hectic pace of life with your friends. Then chat with them about their digital lives and how to move in different, more meaningful ways."

HAHAHA!!!!! Watch an online video, share it, then chat with friends about it.

These guys are trolling, right?

Re: Enjoying Digital Detox Week?

Submitted by guyveroz on Fri, 04/23/2010 - 22:19.

Well to be fair they did say

"Luckily, the off button is easy to find. Take a week to cut back on digital stimulation as much as you can."

and not stop entirely.This is further eveidenced by

"Tomorrow morning, try a little self discipline before you switch on your computer."

But yeah didn't know about this, don't really care to follow this... my com is on most of the day and I'm not stopping that any time soon :P

Re: Enjoying Digital Detox Week?

Submitted by Overcast on Fri, 04/23/2010 - 11:14.

"The movement is the work of anti-consumerist group Adbusters and kicked off on April 19 (it ends April 25). Adbusters writes that “Whether it is texting, gaming, downloading or emailing, so much of our time is spent in the virtual realm.” Fortunately though, the group writes, “… the off button is easy to find.”"

So then - why is their web server up and running?

Back to gaming~~ ;)

Re: Enjoying Digital Detox Week?

Submitted by Neeneko on Fri, 04/23/2010 - 10:47.

Notice no one ever sponsors a 'stop talking to live people' week or 'don't read a book' week. I think this just comes down to relative value of the speaker... these people want you doing the activties and interactions they enjoy, and can not stand the idea that other people might like something else, so they build an entire movement around discouraging people from choosing their own life structure. Nothing but a pointless power grab, and a pathetic one at that.

Re: Enjoying Digital Detox Week?

Submitted by hellfire7885 on Fri, 04/23/2010 - 04:44.

"Van Cleave is also no stranger to videogame addiction and claims that upon finally cancelling his World of Warcraft, he considered suicide."

Sorry if this seems insensitive, but this seems made up to me. I know it's always a case by case thing, but I know my brother has gone weeks on end without playing, mostly due to, shock and awe, he got bored with it on several occasions between updates.

As for the event itself, never heard of it until now and I likely wouldn't have participated even if I did, with free will and all.

Re: Enjoying Digital Detox Week?

Submitted by CyberSkull on Fri, 04/23/2010 - 04:31.

I've never heard of this.

But I can't unplug this week either, after all, Splinter Cell Conviction just came out.

Re: Enjoying Digital Detox Week?

Submitted by harrypres55 on Thu, 04/22/2010 - 21:55.

If this week is Digital Detox Week... and "the off button is easy to find"... Shouldn't their website be deactivated in observance of their own campaign?

...just a though...

Re: Enjoying Digital Detox Week?

Submitted by Longjocks on Thu, 04/22/2010 - 21:48.

So, anyone after some Splinter Cell? I got some co-op fresh from Ubi today. I got some cheap Hotmail accounts at $10 a hit. If anyone asks, you don't know where it came from. If you wanna spend big I got some RGPs straight from Japan out back. That shit'll keep you buzzing for 100+ hours.

Re: Enjoying Digital Detox Week?

Submitted by Michael Chandra on Thu, 04/22/2010 - 21:41.

Uhm... I have to grade homework... That means checking the assignment. Online. Getting the turned-in assignments. By mail. Uploading the grades and feedback. To a site.

Are they nuts?

Re: Enjoying Digital Detox Week?

Submitted by killatia on Thu, 04/22/2010 - 19:04.

I wonder who does the PR for this event? Who ever he is he sucks at his job. Has anyone even heard of this before?

http://www.magicinkgaming.com/

http://www.killatia.com/

Re: Enjoying Digital Detox Week?

Submitted by Sora-Chan on Thu, 04/22/2010 - 17:21.

ummmm....

really bad time to do this considering that students are going through finals this month, now if they had done it in the middle of the summer.. that makes more sense! but any time during the school year especially so near to finals... thats just evil. especially if the students are like my BF who is in various art classes that REQUIRE computers such as animation, web design, digital design, ect.

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Re: Enjoying Digital Detox Week?

Submitted by Count_Zero on Thu, 04/22/2010 - 21:02.

Not to mention, the state of the modern economy makes this a bad time to do this. I would say that currently it would be extremely difficult to find a job - especially one that isn't entry level or blue collor - without using a computer.

Re: Enjoying Digital Detox Week?

Submitted by Conejo on Thu, 04/22/2010 - 16:23.

Adbusters takes removing advertisements so seriously they poorly advertise their own movements?

Here are we -- and yonder yawns the universe.

Re: Enjoying Digital Detox Week?

Submitted by locopuyo on Thu, 04/22/2010 - 16:16.

I can't work without an internet connection. :S

Pwnage of Empires

Pro Gaming Mouse Guide

Re: Enjoying Digital Detox Week?

Submitted by Weatherlight on Thu, 04/22/2010 - 15:21.

Well its to late to quit now, better just keep going. Where was this advertised? Online? if so so the irony is a killer

~Weatherlight~

Shout box

prh99: Also there is no story in rational and respectful discussion (where you can find it).10/19/2014 - 10:44am

prh99: Well they are probably doing it on Twitter and probably the GG hashtag so any voice reason gets drowned out by idiocy. Also it's far easier to broad brush a group.10/19/2014 - 10:41am

Wonderkarp: dont fool yourself, Technogeek. Remember Mass Effect 3? How about the ferver against Phil Fish?10/19/2014 - 10:18am

MechaTama31: None of which is the fault or responsibility of the people who are not trolling, harassing, threatening, doxxing, etc. So why is their opinion hostage to the people who are?10/19/2014 - 10:06am

Technogeek: If the developer were male there wouldn't have been a "conversation" in the first place.10/19/2014 - 2:27am

Monte: trolls are just at their absolute worst when it comes to women and feminist. You could bet good money that if the developer were male the trolls would be silent and the conversation would actually focus on the journalism.10/18/2014 - 9:18pm

Monte: Papa: Not the first time we've had a journalism scandals before, but the harassment never got close to this level; the difference with this scandal is that feminists are involved. Without the feminist angle, their would be A LOT less harrassment10/18/2014 - 9:15pm

Papa Midnight: Monte: That's honestly rather short-sighted. As has been proven with other persons who have been targeted, if it wasn't Quinn, it would be someone else.10/18/2014 - 6:26pm

Avalongod: I think that's part of what gives an esoteric news story like this real life...it taps into a larger narrative about misogyny in society outside of games.10/18/2014 - 3:29pm

Avalongod: @Monte, well the trolls made death threats that came to police (and media attention). I think this is tapping into a larger issue outside of games about how women are treated in society (like all the "real rape" stuff during the last election)10/18/2014 - 3:28pm

Wonderkarp: Zippy : Havent tried the PS4 controller. might later.10/18/2014 - 2:37pm

Monte: Seirously, If Quinn was not involved and GG was instead about something like the Mordor Marketing contracts, the trolling would have never grown so vile and disgusting. There have been plenty of movements in the past that never sufferred from behavior..10/18/2014 - 1:57pm

Monte: We have seen scandel's before but the trolling has never been as vile as what we see with GG. Trolls usually have such a tiny voice you can barely notice them, but its like moths to a flame whenever femistist are involved.10/18/2014 - 1:53pm

ZippyDSMlee: Wonderkarp: You might be able to if you had a PS4 controller.10/18/2014 - 1:00pm

MaskedPixelante: http://store.steampowered.com/app/327940/ Night Dive starts charging for freeware.10/18/2014 - 12:21pm

Matthew Wilson: the sad thing is there are trolls on both sides of this. people need to stop acting like their side is so pure.10/18/2014 - 12:19pm

MechaTama31: So, only speak out on a scandal that hasn't attracted trolls? I wouldn't hold my breath...10/18/2014 - 10:49am

Monte: I feel like GG just needs to die. The movement is FAR to tainted by hatred and BS for it to be useful for any conversation. Let GG die, and then rally behind the NEXT gaming journalism scandal, and start the conversation fresh.10/18/2014 - 10:33am

quiknkold: and we dont have a Dovakin to call a cease fire10/17/2014 - 7:37pm

quiknkold: The whole thing is Futile. Both sides are so buried deep in their trenchs that there isnt a conversation. Its just Finger Pointing, Name Calling, Doxxing, Threats. there needs to be a serious conversation, and GG isnt it.10/17/2014 - 7:37pm

All shouts

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