It’s National Day of Unplugging this Friday, a chance to relax and reboot away from social media. National Day of Unplugging was first established in 2010 by the Jewish company Reboot.
Reboot created this day away from technology three years after the first ever iPhone was released in 2007. Their aim was to encourage people to spend more time with their families and away from their phones.
According to a study by CyberCrew, 78.9 per cent of the UK population were smartphone users as of 2021. Smartphones are proven to be more popular with younger generations. 99 per cent of those aged 16 to 34 years old in the UK used a smartphone as of 2021, CyberCrew finds.
Smartphones and computers are used not only for pleasure but also for work and school nowadays. So, it’s more important than ever to take some time away from the screen and focus on the world around you.
Spend Time Away from Social Media
A huge benefit of unplugging for the day is a break from the constant bombardment that social media brings. Sure, social media is great for connecting with friends and discovering new things, but it isn’t all good. Many social media influencers that pop up on our feeds now and then will portray an unrealistic standard of living.
Things such as 5am ‘Get Ready with Me’ and ‘What I Eat in a Day’ videos are not always accurate. Some social media users are almost addicted to these videos and crave this productive lifestyle that influencers promote. Although, being an influencer is a source of income for many of these people and they don’t have other commitments like viewers often do.
Therefore, they can afford to wake up at the crack of dawn and cram their day full of productivity.
So, unplug for a day. Don’t feel bad if you wake up at 10am and don’t make it to the gym. Not comparing yourself to what you see on social media can be very beneficial for your mental health.
Spend Time with Those You Love
Another reason why you should unplug this Friday is to spend some time with your friends and family IRL. Just as Reboot intended, staying off technology for a day and spending time with those you love will nurture these relationships.
Once again, it can also be beneficial to your mental health to spend some time in the presence of others, even if you aren’t doing anything exciting.
Stay Offline Before Bed
We have all heard the saying that if you sit in front of the television for too long then you’ll get square eyes. While this isn’t true, spending excessive time looking at screens can be damaging for your eyes and your sleeping pattern.
The blue light used in phone screens keeps our brain active and awake at night, disrupting sleep. Not only that, but the short bursts of dopamine that you can get from scrolling endlessly through TikTok or Twitter make it hard for us to put down our phone and actually go to bed. Stay offline for a day and see if you have a better, more rested sleep.
Unplugging could be the start of a healthier relationship between yourself and technology. So, why not give it a try and take part in National Day of Unplugging this Friday.
Feature Image Credit: camilo jimenez on Unsplash
Second year student journalist studying Bachelor of Arts with Honours in Journalism Studies.
Writer for Brig and Discovery Music, Chief Sub Editor for Brig
