Every device needs a reboot every once in awhile, human or otherwise.
That’s what the National Day of Unplugging is about, prompting us all to take a technology break to slow down, connect with loved ones and reset ourselves a little.
This year, the day was sundown March 6 to sundown March 7, advocated by Reboot and the creative project called “The Sabbath Manifesto,” designed to “slow down lives in an increasingly hectic world.”
Each year, it feels just a little harder to unplug, but perhaps that’s why we need a day like this even more each year.
At MediaShift, we take the National Day of Unplugging as an opportunity to expand our regular coverage of technology and media with a special series that looks at what it means to unplug from all of those things and how that works (or doesn’t) in our everyday, technology-filled lives.
Enjoy the series and shoot us a line if you have something you’d like to contribute to the series.
2015 Series Posts
> Tips for Unplugging from Tech to Reconnect with Family, by Tanya Schevitz
> Life-Changing Family Ritual: Weekly Unplugging, by Tiffany Shlain
> How to Unplug Your Kids Despite Schools Pushing Tech with Common Core, by Jenny Shank
> How a Plugged-In College Student Spent 24 Hours Without Tech, by Emily Skorin
> Why It Takes More than Unplugging to Solve Modern Stress, by Amanda Enayati
> An Experiment in International Travel and Disconnecting from Tech, by Dena Levitz
2014 Posts
> Celebrate Day of Unplugging with Nap-In, Typewriters, Live Music, by Angela Washeck
> Tips for Unplugging and What to Do Once You Do, by Tanya Schevitz
> How Do You Unplug When You Live and Work Online? by Dena Levitz
> A Special Mediatwits Podcast on Unplugging, by the Mediatwits
More Reading
Check out these previous MediaShift articles about unplugging and taking Technology Sabbaths:
> Nicholas Carr’s ‘Glass Cage’: Automation Will Hurt Society in Long Run, by Jenny Shank
> Mediatwits #139: Finding Work-Life Balance with Technology in the ‘New Slow City,’ by Jefferson Yen
> 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
> Why We Need to Teach Mindfulness in a Digital Age, by Aran Levasseur
> 5Across: How to Deal with Technology Overload by Mark Glaser
> Technology Sabbath Offers One Day to Unplug, by Mark Glaser
> Your Take Roundup: We Need to Learn How to Unplug, by Mark Glaser
> A Moment of Unplugged Zen Poolside, by Mark Glaser
Other coverage across the web
> Father-son videos make a case for National Day of Unplugging, Chicago Tribune
> Keep it charged: The case against the well-intentioned but misguided National Day of Unplugging, National Post
> 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
Correction: This post has been updated to correct the days for the National Day of Unplugging this year.
