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Bye-Bye Candy Crush, Hello Leafy Trees: When Technophiles Need Digital Detox

No photos, no emails ... Nothing.
No photos, no emails ... Nothing.
Albertine Bourget

Since returning from Camp Grounded, Anastasia Savvina sees the world differently. “On the bus, everyone stares at their cell phones,” she says. “People don’t look each other in the eye anymore. And I, who only have an old phone without any connection, I look at them.”

Camp Grounded is a retreat for those who want to unplug. Three days in the California Redwoods — no screen, no phone, no Wi-Fi. The only link between the participants and the rest of the world is an emergency phone number. Anastasia, 27, works for an insurance company in Los Angeles. She attended the camp last summer and is already registered for next summer, for around $500. “It was magical,” she says.

The camp was founded by 28-year-old Levi Felix. Not long ago, when he headed a start-up in California, he was living in the heart of the tech bubble. “I lived and breathed computer screens, seven days a week. In my house, I kept an iPhone and a BlackBerry under my pillow.” Stuck in this virtual whirl, he finally let out a cry for mercy. In 2009, the young man left it all behind and traveled. It was in Thailand, in a guest house that belonged to a Swiss couple, that he managed to truly disconnect. “You swim, you eat, you relax, you look at the landscape. No photos, no emails, nothing. You savor the moment.” Back in the U.S., along with his girlfriend and brother, he parlayed this “digital detox” concept into a business.

Disconnect to reconnect

The idea is not simply to wean the technophiles. During the whole stay, the 200 to 300 participants — who must relinquish their watches for the duration of the stay — are forbidden to say their name, age and occupation. “We were ourselves, with no social status, no prejudgment,” Anastasia says. “People talked about their childhoods, their passions, their fears, intimate things that you normally share only with friends. We were all vulnerable, and that truly made us respect each other.” Felix says that while we don’t realize it, everything we share on Facebook or Instagram is a way to sell a character to other people. “What is left without these props?”

As a getaway for wealthy overgrown kids, the retreat, in addition to offering local, organic food cooked by a chef, provides myriad activities for participants: yoga, improvisation, archery, bread-making … and, finally, a retro 1980s-themed farewell party. “I was first drawn by the summer camp aspect of it all,” Anastasia explains. “When I was a child in Russia, our family used to vacation at a cabin in the woods for three months. Coming to the Redwoods is a way to go back to my childhood.”

Of course, there is some disbelief among the friends and family of these two-day retreat participants. “Many colleagues and friends of mine thought I was joining a cult, a hippy thing where people would try to cut me off from civilization. They were either worried or skeptical,” Anastasia says.

Adults leaving their normal lives to have fun in the forest? This makes some cynics snigger. “We don’t force anyone to join us,” Felix retorts. “Even on holiday, most people are unable to refrain from checking their emails or reading the news on their tablets. Resisting the temptation is difficult. We provide some freedom.” He explains that the retreat is not about excluding technology completely “but about putting things into perspective.”

In any case, there is obviously demand for what Felix offers. Last August, he had to turn away 2,000 would-be participants because enrollment was full. Digital Detox and similar companies such as Restart provide company retreats, phoneless parties or “off” seminaries. Across the U.S. and the world, many feel the need to disconnect. Hotels now offer stays with no Internet access for those who want to be free from interruption.

True addiction is rare

Dr. Larry Rosen, a psychologist specializing in information and communication technologies at California State University, says “digital detox” is not effective in the long term. “The term ‘detoxification’ itself is misleading, in the sense that it is not an addiction, but an obsession or a compulsion,” says Rosen, who is also the author of iDisorder. “Plus, an addiction does imply the notion of pleasure, which isn’t the case here.” He advocates simply placing limits and boundaries to create a healthy relationship with technology.

Christine Davidson, a Swiss psychiatrist and advisor to the International CyberSpace Addiction Organization (ICSAO) who studies Internet-related addictions, shares this opinion. “We rarely see people who are only addicted to their smartphones,” she says. “It generally includes an addiction to the web and to work — or very socially isolated people.”

In complex cases, the brain needs three months so that its neurotransmitters can truly rest. “Ideally, those who present problematic symptoms should be able to disconnect completely.”

The concept of disconnecting is expected to expand in the U.S. and places such as Switzerland, which is a hyper-connected country. According to a study last year by the Swiss consumer organization Comparis, 48% of residents there have a smartphone with access to the Internet, up from just 3% in 2007.

For his part, Felix has established some rules for his technology use. Once a week, he gives himself a “technological Sabbath.” Anastasia, meanwhile, has decided not to buy a smartphone. “I wouldn’t be able to resist the temptation of going on the Internet,” she says. But she has nevertheless managed to keep in touch with the people she met at the camp. “Actually, we have a group. On Facebook.”

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FOCUS: Israel-Palestine War

Why The U.S. Lost Its Leverage In The Middle East — And May Never Get It Back

In the Israel-Hamas war, Qatar now plays the key role in negotiations, while the United States appears increasingly disengaged. Shifts in the region and beyond require that Washington move quickly or risk ceding influence to China and others for the long term.

Photograph of U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken  shaking hands with sraeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

November 30, 2023, Tel Aviv, Israel: U.S Secretary of State Antony Blinken shakes hands with Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant.

Chuck Kennedy/U.S State/ZUMA
Sébastien Boussois

-Analysis-

PARIS — Upon assuming office in 2008, then-President Barack Obama declared that United States would gradually begin withdrawing from various conflict zones across the globe, initiating a complex process that has had a major impact on the international landscape ever since.

This started with the American departure from Iraq in 2010, and was followed by Donald Trump's presidency, during which the "Make America Great Again" policy redirected attention to America's domestic interests.

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The withdrawal trend resumed under Joe Biden, who ordered the exit of U.S. forces from Afghanistan in 2021. To maintain a foothold in all intricate regions to the east, America requires secure and stable partnerships. The recent struggle in addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict demonstrates that Washington increasingly relies on the allied Gulf states for any enduring influence.

Since the collapse of the Camp David Accords in 1999 during Bill Clinton's tenure, Washington has consistently supported Israel without pursuing renewed peace talks that could have led to the establishment of a Palestinian state.

While President Joe Biden's recent challenges in pushing for a Gaza ceasefire met with resistance from an unyielding Benjamin Netanyahu, they also stem from the United States' overall disengagement from the issue over the past two decades. Biden now is seeking to re-engage in the Israel-Palestine matter, yet it is Qatar that is the primary broker for significant negotiations such as the release of hostages in exchange for a ceasefire —a situation the United States lacks the leverage to enforce.

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