Hello Rosella,
Hello
So the detox is over. Congratulations! Do you feel like a new woman?
I did during the detox. And then I got my phone back and acted like a greedy Chow Chow being plied with fillet steak. It’s now the Monday after and I’m feeling dead conflicted. Sell phone and book a flight to NYC? Or keep phone and accept the shackles? Answers on a postcard.
What did you miss the most during the hiatus?
Instagram and Spotify. Listening to other people’s music for 12 days took its toll. If I ever hear Hold my Hand by Jess Glyne again, I’ll probably punch someone.
Did you cheat at all?
I maaay have ventured onto the Zara Clothing website in a moment of weakness. Despicable.
Will you be giving any digital shackles the boot going forward?
I said I’d delete Facebook and WhatsApp, this hasn’t happened yet. I think it’s a case of out of sight, out of mind. A smartphone is much like having a Tamagotchi or playing The Sims. Very. Addictive.
Hello Philip
Hello
So the detox is over. Congratulations! Do you feel like a new man?
Thank you Rosella! Well a few days back I did singlehandedly fix a Real Life DIY Problem (RLDIYP) without consulting The Internet (the World Wide Web, not the band) which was by some distance the most Alpha Male thing I’ve ever done.
So by that token, yes. Yes I do feel like a new man.
What did you miss the most during the hiatus?
Listening to new music on Spotify, absolutely. I’ve also recently logged back onto the Fantasy Premier League website. The feeling flooding into my synapses as the garish kit colours hit my retina could only be described as Sportsnerd’s Heroin.
What it’s going to feel like when I open Football Manager I can only imagine. You might have to check I don’t overdose this weekend.
Did you achieve any offline dreams or goals?
Nothing too concrete. But the added focus and productivity I’ve garnered was tangible and made this a very worthwhile endeavour – not to mention all the money we’ve raised so far for Shelter Cymru.
Will you be giving any digital shackles the boot going forward?
I’m determined to stare at my phone a lot less. I’m deleting Instagram, cutting back on Twitter and am going to live in the real world. For a while at least.
Hello Siobhan
Hello
So the detox is over. Congratulations! Do you feel like a new woman?
I feel amazing. Bizarrely the thing I’ve noticed most is how much easier it is to get to sleep and get out of bed in the morning. Honestly, not staring at an evil glaring screen first thing lets me wake up naturally… blah blah blah you’ve all stopped reading because I sound like a detox fanatic who wants to change the world one Twitter twonk at a time….
But seriously. I’m going to start turning my phone off at night.
What did you miss the most during the hiatus?
I thought I missed being a part of massive group threads, but when I got them back I realised I’d missed a whole load of nothing.
It’s actually really nice to have things to catch up on when I see family and friends, even if now I do get a little pissy when I have to share them with their phone.
Did you achieve any offline dreams or goals?
Breaking the habit more than anything else, which was surprisingly easy! I thought I might feel a bit anxious but I really didn’t. Didn’t finish that novel I started in ’08 though. Just got a big stack of papers, a compelling protagonist…. Some friends become enemies, some enemies become friends, that kinda thing. Yeah. I deserve some time off. (Family Guy fans, does this sound familiar to you?)
Will you be giving any digital shackles the boot going forward?
I’ve deactivated my social accounts, but I’m not sure how long that will last considering I work in digital. I also deleted WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger… People can just text me, right?
Hello Carys
Hello
So the detox is over. Congratulations! Do you feel like a new woman?
If I’m honest, no!
I wasn’t a massive social media freak to start with, and I think this seems to be the biggest influence on people missing their mobiles.
What did you miss the most during the hiatus?
WhatsApp, without a doubt! I missed the constant chitter chatter. It helps me pass the time and stay upbeat when I get a little restless.
I have been told some groups have gone suspiciously quiet since I’ve been offline – coincidence? Maybe.
I’ve missed not being able to plug in to Spotify and Soundcloud when running. Not to mention tracking my stats when exercising and walking my pooch, Frankie.
During the detox I felt like I was out of the loop with what was going on in the world. Not being able to browse the internet and read quirky articles that wouldn’t make the 10 o’clock news was tough.
Did you achieve any offline dreams or goals?
It made getting day to day things done trickier, so in that sense I’ve proved to myself that I can do it.
Will you be giving any digital shackles the boot going forward?
Probably not. I’ll be more conscious not to be distracted when I’m with company and my phone does buzz. Without my phone I engage more with people around me, so that’s definitely something to take away from the experience.