From Vanity Fair · Marisa Meltzer · · 3m
Dead Zones: Unplugging in a Connected World
A writer seeks true digital silence but finds it only possible for the privileged few.
In brief
A writer seeks true digital silence but finds it only possible for the privileged few. The writer discovers that true digital disconnection requires an assistant and is not feasible for most people. Originally reported by Vanity Fair.
I want my iPhone 13 to have less presence
I want my iPhone 13 to have as little presence in my life as it can.
Rumors of a flip phone solution
Rumors of a new flip phone that would solve maybe 80% of my problems.
My problems with notifications
Watching too many TikToks about first dates gone wrong; keeping count of how many times a former colleague went to Italy over one summer; emails from publicists about holiday gift guides; WhatsApp group chats with…
The answer is not in phones
I realized soon into this journey that the answer is not in phones; it is in life itself.
Phone-free walks with my dog
I have gone from experimenting with long, phoneless walks with my dog to keeping my phone on Do Not Disturb at nights and on weekends.
No consequences when phone is off
I used to worry about what would happen when my phone was off, and now I realize the answer is nothing.
The theater as a sanctuary
The theater, the ballet, the opera, and the symphony, where turning off your phone is gleefully enforced, are sanctuaries.
The problem with unplug
The problem here is not the desire to unplug, or the follow-through, that part has been easy, it’s how this behavior is regarded by others.
Delaying emails
Last weekend I decided I’d email a friend back on Monday about which day to buy tickets to an Alvin Ailey performance.
The cost of unavailability
When I’m writing or editing, I try to be at home with notifications off so I can focus.
The expectation of availability
The base level of availability expected of people who work is unprecedented. Think about what is considered standard in a white-collar job: 24-hour, seven-day-a-week queries.
Unavailability as a status symbol
The ability to not give someone immediate access to you is a status symbol. It means you do not work the kind of job that involves high amounts of communication.
Harry Styles' dead laptop
Harry Styles told Radiohead’s Thom Yorke in an interview that his laptop has been dead for six years and he doesn’t know where his charger is.
Qantas flight experience
Last spring I went to Australia on a really short work trip. I flew Qantas from New York, west over North America, across the Pacific, to a layover in New Zealand, a trip that took…
The true definition of privilege
It is not just about the luxury of being unreachable, and it’s not just about being someone with the powerful mindset of no longer caring if they can be reached; it’s to be those things…
The need for an assistant
I need an assistant who can sort through emails and Slacks and missed calls and answer all but the most pressing questions.
In short
The writer discovers that true digital disconnection requires an assistant and is not feasible for most people.
