Framing digital disconnection: Problem definitions, values, and actions among digital detox organisers

Abstract

Most studies approach digital disconnection from an individualistic perspective, while this article explores organised efforts to facilitate digital detox experiences. The aim is to contribute a nuanced understanding of how offline initiatives are framed and the complex relationship between individual and collective action. The study is based on qualitative interviews with ten organisers representing different initiatives and supplementary material from mass and digital media. The analysis shows how actions are triggered by personal experiences and respond to specific concerns within domains such as work and education, tourism and leisure, arts, culture and religion. Yet, the initiatives also invoke overlapping moral evaluations. The study reveals a joint scepticism concerning the lack of industry responsibility and little faith in regulatory solutions to the problem of intrusive media. Furthermore, the study discusses digital detox initiatives as an ambiguous form of contemporary activism, spanning from self-help to corporate action. The initiatives are not connected, but participants perceive their actions as part of an emerging trend. Nevertheless, few initiatives contribute to an interpretation of disconnection initiatives as anything more than unique experiences. The article contributes to the extant literature by showing how the meaning of disconnection evolves both in local settings and in dialogue with broader concerns in the public sphere.