Weekend getaway? Try digital detox this time

“Computer vision syndrome,” declared the ophthalmologist. “Your eyes are under constant strain due to long hours in front of the laptop and mobile phone. Curtail your screen time and get rid of FOMO (fear of missing out), another condition that’s an offshoot of the progress in science and technology,” he said.

Enough is enough. I vowed to cut the screen time and do away with the habit of watching every video clip and reading every bit of unsolicited information on social media. I decided to take baby steps to detox. I resolved to spend a weekend without any technological intervention. I turned off the WiFi and mobile data on the phone before going to bed on Friday night.

I woke up on Saturday without the beeping sound of numerous notifications. I was surrounded by calm. The device that ate up my quality time day after day lay lifeless in a corner. I had ample time to sit down on my recliner and bask in the morning sun with a big cup of tea. It had been long since I went through the three newspapers I subscribe to, thoroughly.

Around noon, I went to the nearby superstore to buy groceries. I shopped leisurely double-checking the price tags, expiry date and calorific value of the products because I didn’t have to react or respond to the constant influx of information and misinformation.

After a peaceful post-lunch siesta, I decided to spend the evening with a friend whom I hadn’t met in person for a long time. I spent close to an hour chatting with him. Though he kept fiddling with his phone, I was a free man.

The weekend was spent on a placid note with family and friends without any distraction by the technological wonder and my favourite buddy, the smartphone. When I woke up on Monday morning and brought the internet back to life, my phone buzzed, tweeted, blinked and vibrated incessantly as the apps sprang back to life. I was curious to know what this frantic frenzy could be about.

My work email was more or less where I had left it. The more than 1,000 notifications from four main social media apps made me feel as if I had missed life-changing messages. People had tagged me, poked me and pulled me into conversation threads. I looked at the huge volume of information waiting to be read.

It would need at least two hours to catch up with the chatter accumulated in my brief absence from the digital platform. So, I took the easy way out. I selected all the messages, marked them as read and deleted them before getting on with the day. I know I must have missed a few interesting things, but I no longer fear that.

I VOWED TO CUT THE SCREEN TIME AND DO AWAY WITH THE HABIT OF WATCHING EVERY VIDEO CLIP AND READING EVERY BIT OF UNSOLICITED INFORMATION ON SOCIAL MEDIA