When given the challenge to disconnect for one full day, British participants likened the task to being as hard as quitting cigarettes or alcohol.

A recent project, Digital Selves, by consumer research group Intersperience queried 1000 people from 18 to 65 about their feelings and usage of the internet and other digital technology. The study found the following results:

• 53% of Brits feel ‘upset’ when deprived of internet connection
• 40% of people surveyed feel ‘lonely’ when not able to go online
• One participant exclaimed it was “like having their hand chopped off”

Paul Hudson, Chief Executive of Intersperience said: “ We have gathered clear evidence that the UK has fully entered the Digital Age. The resulting stepchange in the way we engage with technology has occurred faster than many of us had anticipated.”

At U&R, these results are not surprising and we know a one day challenge for our Unplugging & Reconnecting followers is a welcome respite from over stimulated lives, and not a “nightmare” as some participants noted.

Please share our U&R resources with your European friends! It sounds like they need it.