Digital Cleanse Challenge

John Mayer is calling for a cleanse.  A digital cleanse. TechCrunch seems to think he might have an impact, since he has 2.8 million and some-odd number of followers on Twitter. (I'm one of the some-odd followers, by the way.)

The link in John Mayer's twitter goes to this website, which outlines the digital cleanse rationale, rules, and timeframe.  Basically, from January 1 to January 8, he's calling for people to not text, not visit social networking sites, and only email from desktop or laptops (not cell phones).

John Mayer (and he is John Mayer in my head, not simply John or even Mr. Mayer) has an interesting idea. Already people are (ironically) using social media sites to discuss whether they think they can or cannot, will or will not accept and be able to fulfill the Digital Cleanse Challenge.

Could I do it?  Mostly likely.  You see, I went on a month long retreat in early 2008, where I didn't have access to computers or my cell phone. One of the many things I wondered about before the retreat was whether I could live without technology for so long.  I'd gotten my first iPhone six months before that, and I was clearly addicted. I turned to my iPhone so very many times a day that I wasn't sure how I was going to deal with a month of no digital data streaming into my life.  Yet, as it turned out, being away from technology and the information highway was one of the easiest parts of the retreat. It would be a different type of challenge to take a digital cleanse while still going about my usual day-to-day activities, but I'm betting I could do it.

Do I want to do it?  Well... no.  Right now in my life, I'm looking for more connection, not less.  And, even though it's through my computer, sites such as Twitter and Facebook offer me at least one form of connection with other people. So, I am going to let the Digital Cleanse Challenge slide by me, at least this time.  I will, however, take this as a reminder to be more thoughtful in my day-to-day life.  To not veg out by browsing social media sites. To think about making a phone call instead of sending a text.  To be more conscious about how many times (and why) I pick up my iPhone. 

I will, though, attempt one part of the cleanse: "no visiting of any entertainment or gossip sites."  I don't have any conclusive evidence to back my next statement up, but I'm pretty sure they slowly (and seductively?) rot your brain.