Have a Happy Device Free Valentine's Day!! -- Can You Take the Pledge?

In today's day and age, it is hard to imagine going a day without checking our emails, phones and other tech gadgets. And, in the honor of Valentine's Day and Love, the folks at Offlining are asking that people succumb to the seductive suggestion to take the Pledge to have 10 Device-Free dates by February 14, 2011! This can be done at the Offlining website.  Here you can also send e-cards and gifts as part of this campaign.

Can you resist the lure of technology and take the pledge today? Don't you think your family and friends deserve more of your undivided attention, even just for a day? I challenge you to go to Offlining today and take the pledge, as part of your Valentine's Day gift to your loved ones. You will be glad you did. And, remember, the emails and messages will all be there tomorrow. Take a break and enjoy time with the ones that matter most.

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More About Offlining and Their Campaign:

"We're pretty sure this is one of the best things you can do for your love life," says Offlining co-founder, Mark DiMassimo. His partner in this national 'lifestyle intervention' campaign, Eric Yaverbaum, adds, "We're determined to promote Valentine's Day as a day to abstain ...from technology!"

Since its Father's Day 2010 website and campaign launch, hundreds of thousands of people have shown their support for Offlining: Over 250,000 Offflining E-cards have been sent (at no charge) from the website, encouraging family members, friends and colleagues to spend more quality time (including holidays!) with those who matter most. In addition, well over 11,000 have taken previous Offlining pledges to occasionally resist the lure of technology.

Take A Look At These Starting Statistics:

Toll of Technology: Impatience and Forgetfulness

• Some experts believe excessive use of the Internet, cell phones and other technologies can cause us to become more impatient, impulsive, forgetful and even more narcissistic.
• We do spend a lot of time with our devices, and some studies have suggested that excessive dependence on cellphones and the Internet is akin to an addiction. Web sites like NetAddiction.com offer self-assessment tests to determine if technology has become a drug.

Hooked on Gadgets, and Paying a Mental Price

• Scientists say juggling e-mail, phone calls and other incoming information can change how people think and behave. They say our ability to focus is being undermined by bursts of information.
• “The technology is rewiring our brains,” said Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute of Drug Abuse and one of the world’s leading brain scientists. She and other researchers compare the lure of digital stimulation less to that of drugs and alcohol than to food and sex, which are essential but counterproductive in excess.

More Americans Sense a Downside to an Always Plugged-In Existence
NATIONWIDE POLL RESULTS – Conducted May 6-9, using both land-line phones and cellphones. Interviews were conducted with 855 adults, of whom 726 said they used a personal computer or had a smartphone. The poll has a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 3 percentage points for all adults and 4 percentage points for computer and smartphone users.

• While most Americans say devices like smartphones, cellphones and personal computers have made their lives better and their jobs easier, some say they have been intrusive, increased their levels of stress and made it difficult to concentrate, according to a New York Times/CBS News poll.
• Younger people are particularly affected: almost 30 percent of those under 45 said the use of these devices made it harder to focus, while less than 10 percent of older users agreed.
• People seem to find it hard to shut down after work. Almost 40 percent check work e-mail after hours or on vacation.
• Some people can’t imagine living without their computers. About a third of those polled said they couldn’t, while 65 percent said they either probably or definitely could get along without their PCs. The people who are most computer-dependent tend to be better educated and more affluent.
• While most said the use of devices had no effect on the amount of time they spent with their family, a few were concerned. One in seven married respondents said the use of these devices was causing them to see less of their spouses. And 1 in 10 said they spent less time with their children under 18.

Source:  The New York Times