On the need to unplug: some facts and proposals

If there is one point that stands out in our information society it is that we are in the midst of a technological invasion and that we, and particularly young people, feel the need to be permanently connected. These and other traits are what give shape to the era of hyperconnectivity (Reig y Vílchez, 2013). Regarding this reality, there are those who see a certain technological fatigue amongst users, and so, from certain perspectives, there is a feeling that we need to rethink the technological approach, to reconsider the effects that technology has on our lives. The suggestion is digital unplugging, a proposal which can be included in a broader movement, the Slow Movement, which champions a more unhurried lifestyle (Honoré, 2004). This does not mean eliminating online life completely, but rather establishing regular periods of digital time-out in order to develop face-to-face communication; they suggest cultivating leisure periods which, to a certain extent, would dispense with digital technology and would reconstruct the borders between the time for work and the time for rest (Wajcman et al., 2009). In this work we make an in-depth study of the academic and informative literature which deals with this issue and we refer to varied research, both technical and empirical. From an education perspective we point out how, at present, media education and the promotion of digital competence is a priority in the systems of education and of the main international bodies (Kubey, 2003; Martens 2010). It is absolutely fundamental that people learn these new languages, acquire the capacity to critically differentiate and evaluate the enormous amount of media and sources of information which is available, and use this safely. But perhaps one important component of digital competence should be learning how to disconnect, in order to make connections in another way.