After work today, the National Day of Unplugging could give you just the break from USENET you may have been desiring.
The National Day of Unplugging is a 24-hour period – running from sunset to sunset – and starts tonight. Actually, it’s two days – the group touts March 1-2 as its holidays from digital living – and we can certainly note the irony of using the Internet to promote not using the Internet. And it’s smirkworthy that one of the days for unplugging is a Friday, when most people are still at work
Started in 2010, the holiday encourages people to take a break from technology by turning off all of their devices for a period of 24 hours.
Interestingly enough, Reboot is asking those participating in this year’s National Day of Unplugging to share a picture of themselves holding a sign that details what they’ll do instead of being on their phones or computers on various social media platforms, the very same platforms they’re encouraging people to step away from.
We’re a wired culture. And while being plugged in may seem really helpful at times, and it may serve to make the world a smaller place sometimes, it can also easily distract us from being present with our family and friends. Instead of interacting with and connecting to real flesh-and-blood humans, it’s all too tempting to Instagram them and share on their Facebook wall.
Here are the 10 tenets for the National Day of Unplugging:
Avoid technology.
Connect with loved ones.
Nurture your health.
Get outside.
void commerce.
Light candles.
Drink wine.
Eat bread.
Find silence.
Give back.
And if your addiction is so bad that you can’t imagine 24 hours without technology or gadgets or USENET, never fear. Take a look at The UNDO List, a free service with ideas for conversation topics, readings, local outings and creative endeavors.
At the end of the day, if you still can’t resist, no worries. ThunderNews USENET services will be completely operational to feed online urges.
