Michael's Digital Detox Journal
Misadventures in Going Offline
Stories about trying to live with less media and more life.
The Instagram Science Project
Michael opened Instagram for research, bought three courses and felt off balance before he had published a single post.
Two People in My Head
One part of Michael wants order, purpose and peace. Another urgently needs sumac powder, tungsten spheres and one quick look at YouTube.
The Checking Binge
After five hours moving between email, Facebook, messages, reviews and a film, Michael still could not say what he had been looking for.
The Fridge
Michael's fridge was full of food he had deliberately bought. In the state he was in, none of it counted because none of it was ready now.
Wes Anderson Doesn't Count
During a media fast, Michael constructed an impeccable argument for one respectable film. By the credits, he wanted Mission: Impossible and had checked his messages.
The Awkward Dance
A forgotten Amazon box on the deck quietly turned into logins, labels, a drive, small talk and another chance to buy things.
Fundamentally Dissatisfying
After sixteen hours offline, Michael picked up the phone he had hidden in a drawer and saw the familiar icons without their usual promise.
Getting Away and the Switch
Away with a tent, hammocks and no Wi-Fi, Michael barely cared about technology. Back at the desk, one quick check regained its power.
I Don't Trust Myself Online
Clear-headed after a day offline, Michael admits that good intentions are not enough when the browser is open and the old sequence can begin.
Twenty Per Cent Slower
Michael keeps noticing the same pressure beneath his days: faster, finish it, urgent. His proposed cure is embarrassingly small and difficult.
The Final Straw
At the top of a mountain, Michael finally admits that private promises and increasingly elaborate lockbox plans are not enough. He looks for other people.
Cathedral Rock
Nearly a month into a media fast, Michael follows the creek beneath Cathedral Rock and finds the experience he had spent years trying to protect.