Digital Detox: Resisting Media and Regaining Authentic Life

• In Event: Thinking About Technology

Abstract

A yearning for authenticity dominates contemporary culture. Yet, the question of what is means to live an authentic life has become increasingly complex, not least because of digital media and tools for online communication that have altered the ways we relate to time, space and ourselves. This paper explores Digital detox as a phenomenon accentuating the dilemmas of what it means to be authentically human in an age of constant connectivity and online interactions. Drawing on textual analysis of self-help books and corporate websites, the paper investigates the experiences of digital overload, and discusses strategies suggested to attain a more authentic lifestyle. The paper demonstrates that Digital detox is rooted in previous forms of media resistance and protest, yet Digital detox functions more as marketplace for authenticity than a political movement.

Authors

• Gunn Enli, U of Oslo

• Trine Syvertsen, University of Oslo