Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Digital Boundaries: Hashtag America

Posted By on Wed, Jul 10, 2013 at 6:00 AM

Digital boundaries. Some of us are over-sharers. Others opt out of sites like Facebook in order. We all have digital boundaries in some way, shape or form because we're seeking the same thing: how to remain present.



Personally, I do something I call Screen-free Sundays. No phone screens, TV screens, computer screens, movie screens - NO screens of any sort. I also have a personal mantra that I live by: Be present. Why? Because I feel the face-to-face connections between humans - which are critical to a healthy society - are degrading. We're putting up walls by joining together non-stop online either subliminally or on purpose, and it's not right.

Screen-free Sundays are about reconnecting with what's in front of me and the people around me. Sometimes I fail on random Sundays, but it's been a really eye-opening experience for the most part. Screen-free Sundays are also when I discovered the value of slow travel. When you're not moving at the speed of the Internet, even for one day a week, life opens up in unimaginable ways.

This excellent spoken word poem bywriter of words and filmer of things, Alex Sparks, speaks to this idea that our connection to other humans face-to-face, a trait that makes our lives truly authentic, is eroding because of tech's pervasiveness in our minds and culture as Americans:



So, if you find yourself experiencing phantom vibration syndrome, which is basically the sensation that your phone put on silent is ringing when it's not, take a listen to Alex's poem and unplug for a day. Your rested, centered mind will appreciate the digital boundary - and so might the people around you.


For more commentary, follow me on Twitter @dbirdy, for more photos peep my Flickr and to see all videos, subscribe to my YouTube channel here!

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