INTERNATIONAL INTERNET-FREE DAY Have you started tilting your head sideways to smile? When you check your e-mail and it says "No new messages", do you immediately check again? Do you dream in HTML? You could be spending too much time on the Internet. So Sunday January 29th has come along at the right time, as it is International Internet-Free Day. An idea promoted by the online democratic think-tank the Global Ideas Bank, Internet-Free Day is a day to log off, get out and enjoy the real world. Why an Internet-Free Day? - Because it's all too easy to miss out on face-to-face interaction with your family, friends and neighbours.
- Because the net can be addictive, and a day of cold turkey won't hurt.
- Because blogging doesn't provide your daily vitamins and minerals.
- Because you've got RSI coming on in your mouse arm.
- Because we all need time to reflect.
- Because the real world is a wonderful place.
- Because if the mere idea of it enrages you, you definitely need it
We're not alone in our opinion here. There are companies who have e-mail free Fridays, there are internet addiction courses and camps, and there are studies into the psychological effects of excessive internet use. And we're only suggesting one day off from the internet (including e-mail)β¦and it's a Sunday. And, an ISP, Bulldog, is backing us. Their marketing director,
David Ferguson,said the company was
supporting the day: βWe want people to make the most of their lives.
The internet should be adding to our lives, not taking away from it. To
mark 'International Internet-Free day', we're encouraging net users to
shut down their PC and spend the time away with friends and family.β
Obviously, there is a certain irony to a web-based project promoting an internet-free day, but this is not an anti-internet campaign. The web has brought numerous benefits to hundreds of thousand of people, be it through easier communication, networks of support, consumer choice, access to news and information or co-ordinating campaigns and donations to help others. Nevertheless, we should remind ourselves periodically of what is truly important: friends, family, health and freedom. So stay off the e-mail, unplug the PC, escape the clutches of the web and head off into the real world: on Internet-Free Day, Sunday January 29th 2006. Associated links:
- Internet Anonymous
- E-mail free Friday
- Internet Addiction Test * Press Contact: Nick Temple, Director, Global Ideas Bank
(www.globalideasbank.org; ideas AT globalideasbank.org; tel: 07968 810716)
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