“Pause” challenge | Get off the web for 24 hours

For some of the youth, November 21 will be the occasion to provoke a small personal earthquake in their daily life. Those who have subscribed to the “Pause” challenge will have to resist the temptation to consult any technological device for 24 hours, in order to better reconnect with extranumeric activities.

Sylvain Sarrazin
Press

Teenagers and young adult volunteers will be able to replay in their own way a cult scene from The Matrix – you know, the one where the hero Neo must choose between a blue pill and a red pill, the latter allowing him to extricate himself from the Matrix, an oppressive virtual web. The participants in the Pause challenge will therefore have, in a way, swallowed their own red pill, by committing to make a cross, for a full day, on any digital activity: conversations by messaging, viewing cat videos and social media consultations included.

The goal of this campaign orchestrated by the Capsana organization? Close the windows of web browsers to better open those of social or personal activities, offer an overview of the benefits of a rare technological break and raise awareness of the trivialization of digital dependence. One could even dream that the young weaned then think of lavishing more breaks of the kind during the year.

To better adapt to individual constraints and adjust the disconnection dosages, the challenge comes in four formulas. The first is simple: just ban all contact with phone, computer, tablet and other screen critters for 24 hours. In short, a complete disconnection, which could cause serious digital itching in some. The other three challenges are to do without social media, video games (including mobile ones) or video streaming (like Netflix or YouTube). A little less radical, but ideal for a gentle first detox.

When 12 floors go by

Also, Laura Gagnon’s friends should expect their messages to go unheeded; at least until Monday morning. This 22-year-old industrial engineering student has pledged, for the third year in a row, to resist the sirens of notifications and publications of all kinds as part of the challenge, even opting for total disconnection.

After attending a conference on digital addiction in 2019, let’s say she fell from above when she learned that on average, we scroll daily on social networks the equivalent of a 12-story building. “When I consult social networks for more than 5 minutes, this story of 12 floors high comes to mind, and I tell myself that I could still take a break”, launches the one who was able to measure the effects .

This allowed Laura to make adjustments in her daily life, for example by swapping out Facebook consultation sessions in the evening against reading good old books. “I also take the opportunity to go to bed earlier, and that gives me a better night’s sleep,” she says.

A year-round challenge

A student at Polytechnique Montreal, the young woman does not hesitate to invite the comrades of her establishment to participate in the game of disconnection for 24 hours. She is even the coordinator of the Station Polytechnique project, dedicated to the well-being of students, a committee that has partnered with the Pause campaign. Chance of the calendar, November 21, the official date of the disconnection, falls at the same time as the Polytechnique open house. The committee will indeed be on site, but with presentations on paper, to make young visitors aware of digital dependence.

However, for students, repeating this disconnect bubble and administering other “red pills” many times a year is still complicated. Laura Gagnon confesses to having difficulty reproducing it herself on the sidelines of the Pause challenge, pointing to the intensification of the use of screens caused by the pandemic, aware that society is inevitably heading towards an all-out technological ramification.

“When you’re studying, especially with the distance courses you’ve experienced, it’s very hard to spend a day without a computer. On the other hand, I installed a mobile application which sends me a report, each week, of the percentage of time spent less or more on my screen compared to the previous week. It’s encouraging, because I see that it allows me to be more productive in other things, ”she explains.

There is still time to register (online!) For the Pause challenge.

Visit the Pause Challenge website