Digital detox

The norm: be available anywhere at any time

Have you ever had the feeling that you couldn’t think straight because of too much information? That’s what was happening to me regularly at the end of 2021. Instant messaging created a mental over-stimulation that led to an overflow of ideas. I became unable to concentrate, to sort things out and to clearly identify the different tasks I had to do in order to prioritise them.

The norm in 2021 was for everyone to be available in real time on messengers such as Messenger or Whatsapp. We’re attached by an invisible chain - the internet - to a technological ball and chain that demands all our attention.

As well as monopolising our concentration, the habit of checking messages and new videos posted by friends has become part and parcel of our daily lives. We’re constantly disturbed by the desire to know what’s going on. It’s as if looking at the latest photos posted an hour ago allows us to exist. Like a gossip at the market, knowing this information gives us a place in society.

Cutting the cord

The plan was obvious: I was going to cut short all the instant technologies so that I could concentrate on the real thing, enjoy my surroundings, observe them and even get bored. I wanted to get back to those ideas that run through your mind when you’ve got nothing to do.

After several attempts, with

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