It sounds like an Onion headline. But it's not! There was just another one of those digital detox things happening nearby, for all those people who have a hard time separating from their phones, and need to be forced to do so. For a cost of $570. Billed as a "summer camp for adults," Camp Grounded just wrapped up their third of three consecutive weekend sessions up north in the Anderson Valley, and the camp has already grown since its inception in 2013. It offers tech workers (and others) the opportunity to commune with each other, and nature, without the distraction of any technology, and also without first names. Or alcohol.
It's sad to say that few people seem to remember what it was like to live without their phones in their hands all the time, and without checking their Facebook notifications every four to seven minutes. And camps like Camp Grounded offer a glimpse of what that pre-connected life looked and felt like, if only for two days. It's also sad to say that people can't give themselves this sort of break from technology every other weekend, without paying $570 for it. You could just go wander the woods, you know. Leave your phone at home. It's really not that hard!
Anyway, here's a choice quote from Business Insider about a Facebook employee who just got back from Camp Grounded:
"I don't remember the last time I went for four days without checking a notification," said Facebook designer Connie Yang, who tried out Camp Grounded this month.Yang, who described the experience as "powerful," said she intends to check her phone far less frequently. She may even experiment with incorporating new product ideas into the Facebook experience to help people "scale back."
Meanwhile, the evil overlords at Facebook and Twitter and Zynga and Candy Crush are devising new ways to make their apps more addictive so that you become more of soulless zombie who can't be present with the people in their lives anymore, or even watch a TV show, without your phone in your hand.
