Unplug Yourself

digital detox

If a few years ago Digital Detox was just a claim people could barely rumour about, today it has been confirmed as a reality. This is certainly the reason why more and more people are keen to pay for a detoxification. You can check it yourself. Just google Digital Detox and see the first results coming up: they all suggest different solutions to unplug yourself from the Internet. Either if you feel like going on a tech-free holiday, chill at home reading a self-help book or fiddle about with a detox app freshly downloaded, Digital Detox remedies do exist and they can help you transforming your digital habits and think outside the screen.

Let's have a look at the Digital Detox options, starting from the geographically farthest solutions to the most easily reachable ones.

The research has been carried out in Milan (Italy) which is considered as the starting point of the analysis

A wi-fi free night? I spare no expense

If you are thinking about going on a tech-free holiday, you’d better sort out your finances and make sure your wallet won’t get too empty. According to Digital Detox Holidays (some sort of Trip Adivisor specialised on Internet-free vacations) you can choose from a 80-destination-wide range and pick the holiday package that suits you better.

The closest detox holiday destination from MilanHotel Eremito in Umbria, ItalyCosts $220 per night and it's 448 km away

Where are these detox paradises located? How expensive are they? The following map shows how the packages are distributed according to the range price for one night per person and the geographic distance from Milan. Click on the single package to find out extra information. Go for the Ecolodges if you want to save money, otherwise choose Spa & Resorts to treat yourself (and spend more!).

The Detox MapEach circle represents a detox holiday package, in a different colour according to its category. The circles' disposition recreates some sort of map: the x axe represents the distance from Milan to the holiday locations; the y axe the price per night for one person all-inclusive. The more a package is located on the left side of the map, the further it is from Milan. The more expensive a package is, the downer it is located on the map.

Legend Spa & Resort Ecolodges Unusual City Hotels

Just a spoonful of dollars helps the Internet go down

If your wallet is not fat enough to take you to a detox paradise, books would surely be a way cheaper (and easier) solution to the problem. Just a few clicks on Amazon would take you to a long list of self-help books and do-it-yourself remedies.

The quickest self-help book to be delivered to MilanHope & Help for Video Game, TV & Internet "Addiction" by Mark E. ShawCosts $4.25 and it is delivered in an average of 18-32 business days

How books can unplug you from the Internet? What do they actually say? Flicking through the pages, here the most significant ten steps found to lead you to a quick and efficient detox.

The Detox AgendaThe agenda shows a personal summary put together from Amazon book abstracts. It highlights the main ten tips for a do-it-yourself detoxification.

Let’s take a closer look at the books. Their covers play an important role in the way Digital Detox is visually communicated. What is the first idea coming to mind at first sight? Most of the covers are either related to technology or drugs: Digital Detox is still sometimes treated in a didascalic way, or compared to other addictions. Find out all the book covers and their prices in the following visualisations.

Digital Detox BooksThe tree-map represents the books total divided in each category (in percentage). Find out the books belonging to each category by clicking on the squares.

Here's an overview of all the Amazon book covers easily purchasable in a few clicks. They are divided by categories and sorted by price.

Click here to find out more information about the research

Detox apps are a addicted’s wallet best friend

An even closer at hand (and wallets) solution comes from the Apple Store and Google Play. The two platforms provide ten apps for Digital Detox, and six out of ten have been created in the last year and downloaded always more frequently. They are all free (except two which cost less than two dollars, for the happiness of the most addicted).

Isn’t it somehow curious how the way to get unplugged from the smartphone is using the smartphone itself? Probably it is, but it also is the most obvsious answer.

The easiest detox solution to get in your smartphone(OFFTIME) Life UnpluggedFree to download and delivered wirelessy in just one click

Digital Detox AppThe x axe represents the apps, sorted by year publication, while the y axe represents the medium of their ratings. Each circle is an app, and the bigger the circle is the more the app has been downloaded (this number increases year by year). Clicking on the circles more details can be discovered.

How do these detox apps work? Most of them simply block the smartphone irreversibly for a certain amount of time, while others send all your friends a text saying that you are having a great tech-free time so you won’t be any longer available nor reachable via smartphone; others use some kind of gamification or betting, rewarding you if you can stay away from your device for enough time.

They tried to make me go to detox but I said no no no!

The huge presence of all these online solutions is the symptom of a changing society. In the last few years people's attitude has gone from “paying lots of money to have have WiFi everywhere” to “paying to be WiFi-free”.

In 2012 the DailyMail identifies the fear of being unconnected as the biggest phobia in the world. Smartphone addiction, checking habits, scrolling, posting, tagging are freshly born words which highlight a society becoming more and more addicted to the Internet, and the obvious consequence to this are all the detox remedies people need to get back to a more balanced life.

Should I stay (online) or should I go (to detox)?

At this point, what has been highlighted is the fact that everyone, in one way or another, is able to easily get detoxicated from the Internet. Either if you can afford one of the exclusive detox packages or just a book from Amazon, detox remedies are nowadays open up to anyone. It's interesting to notice that the cheapest detox solutions are the ones closer to technology itself, and this might sound a bit contradictory. Only going far away on an expensive detox vacation, you could physically stay away from technology and finally live some proper tech-free moments.

The closest detox holiday destinationHotel Eremito in Umbria, Italy$220 per night, 448 km away from Milan

The quickest self-help book to be deliveredHope & Help for Video Game, TV & Internet "Addiction"$4.25, delivered in an average of 18-32 business days

The easiest detox app to get(OFFTIME) Life UnpluggedFree to download, delivered wirelessy in one click

Is the complete abstinence from the Interent the final solution? Do we actually need to be unplugged in order to have a healthier life style? It’s easy to understand that nowadays we cannot live without the Internet, but all people need is to find the right balance in order to live in a more genuine way. As the ancients used to say "In medio stat virtus": the divine grace belongs to moderation.