Our increasing connectedness — the always-on smartphone, the ever-present social networks, the daily media deluge — is affecting our lives in ways we can’t even yet fathom.
So this week, as summer kicks off across the U.S., MediaShift is looking at how and why people are choosing to “unplug” from technology. And within that scope, we’ll be exploring how our constant connection is affecting us, our relationships, our work, our minds, and even our bodies.
And we’d love to hear from you. So if you have a story to share about how you unplug, get in touch.
Unplug 2012 Posts
> Hands-Free Parenting: How Much You Gain When You Unplug by Rachel Stafford
> In Political News, There’s a Fine Line Between a Well-Informed Public and an Overwhelmed One, by Mark Hannah
> Why We Need a Technology Sabbath, by Tanya Schevitz
> 5 Tips to Prevent Digital Burnout and Maintain Good Mental Health by Sandra Ordonez
> Mediatwits #52: Special Edition: Unplugging from Media and Technology by Mark Glaser
More Reading
Check out these previous MediaShift articles and other stories online about unplugging and taking Technology Sabbaths:
Why We Need to Teach Mindfulness in a Digital Age at MediaShift
5Across: How to Deal with Technology Overload at MediaShift
Technology Sabbath Offers One Day to Unplug at MediaShift
Your Take Roundup: We Need to Learn How to Unplug at MediaShift
A Moment of Unplugged Zen Poolside at MediaShift
A Tech Sabbath offers a chance to unplug, recharge at the Oregonian
I Need a Virtual Break. No Really at the NY Times
We Don’t Need a Digital Sabbath, We Need More Time at The Atlantic
SPU students take a break from technology at Seattle Times
Remember the Sabbath? at the Guardian
Managing editor Courtney Lowery Cowgill is a writer, editor and farmer based in central Montana, where the Rocky Mountain Front collides with the high plains. She is the co-founder and former editor in chief of the now closed online magazine NewWest.Net. She also co-created and ran the Rural News Network, a J-Lab New Voices project at the University of Montana’s School of Journalism, which helped small towns revive or create their own online newspapers. When she’s not writing or editing, she’s helping her husband wrangle 150 heritage turkeys, 15 acres of food, overgrown weeds or their new daughter. She blogs about life on the farm, and other things, at www.lifecultivated.com.