Digital Detox

I heard a sad but poignant story on a CBC phone-in program yesterday, on the topic of Digital Detox. This is not so much a physical place like a drug-detox centre, but rather a self-imposed withdrawal from Blackberry, iTab and smartphones. Before I get to the story, I want to mention one great idea that a caller mentioned: at a social gathering of friends or colleagues, the first one to reach for his or her Blackberry etc. picks up the tab.

Now the story: The guest of the show was a woman who found her young daughter walking around the house, carrying a doll and her mother's old Blackberry. She asked her daughter what she was doing, and her daughter replied, "I'm playing house. Just like you."

That's when she realized the extent of her addiction. Her daughter thought being a Mommy required a Blackberry. And that's when she went into Digital Detox.

I don't have a Blackberry or an iPad or a smartphone. All I have is a rather stupid cell phone. It does text and email and music, but I've never used any of those features. To me it's a phone, period. I do maintain a list of frequently-called numbers, but that's about the extent of it.

How about you? How long can you go without a "hit" from your smart device? A weekend? A day? An hour?

Arthur