Punch line: Online and digital technology is increasingly pervasive, influencing our friendships, the way we communicate, the fabric of our family life, our work lives, our buying habits and our dealings with organizations.’
People deprived of the internet feel ‘upset and lonely’ and find going offline as hard as quitting smoking or drinking.
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Reported in the Daily Mail …
Researchers at the University of Maryland persuaded hundreds of students at 12 colleges around the world to agree not to use any technological devices including television and radios for 24 hours.
The volunteers had to stay away from all emails, text messages, updates on Facebook and Twitter. All they could have access to was a landline phone and books. The students kept diaries of their feelings during their period of ‘information deprivation’.
The researchers reported the volunteers told of physiological and physical symptoms comparable to addicts trying to quit smoking or drugs.
These included feeling fidgety, anxious and isolated, and even reaching out for their mobile phone, which was no longer there.
Some of those taking part in the experiment – called Unplugged – said they felt like they were undergoing ‘cold turkey’ to break a hard drug habit, while others said it felt like going on a diet.
Ken’s Note: Felt guilty … found this article online, edited it online, and posted it for your edification … online, of course.
The Homa Files 
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