– Bristol digital agency says ‘switch off your devices and go outside’
On this year’s longest day, Thursday 21st June, Bristol’s Soto is encouraging its friends, contacts and the public to switch off their digital devices and go outside or do any other tech-free activity instead.
“Why would a digital agency ask people to ditch their devices? That’s a good question,” says Soto founder and owner Zoey O’Neill. “The way we see it is: it’s great to do digital, to do it well and do it efficiently, but we also have to take time away from our screens and rest our eyes, our ears and our brains. We think it’s part of re-establishing a healthy balance between work, nature and modern life.” says O’Neill.
The digital age and ‘iGeneration’ has brought a new flexible and laissez-faire style of working, with technology allowing work to be done from home or on-the-go, meaning we are constantly connected. And it’s not just work, our personal lives are swamped with social media, apps and 24 hour news. A lot of the population sleep with their phones, being the first thing they see in the morning and last thing they see before bed. Disconnect Day addresses this, highlighting the importance of regularly taking a break and encouraging people to ‘Turn Off, Unplug, Go Out’.
“Whilst digital is in our nature, we think it’s really important to strike a balance with all the elements of your life. We felt that launching Disconnect Day was a great way to demonstrate that we are committed to our values. It’s more than agile working or flexible working, it’s actively taking time away from screens to breathe, relax and really enjoy the natural world.”
Not only will the public be taking part, O’Neill is ensuring the entire Soto team will be participating;
“On Disconnect Day I’ll be having my lunch outside without any devices and my dog will be getting an extra walk in the morning! I’m encouraging my colleagues to take their break without their phones, to go outside and really take in their surroundings; you never know what might happen!”
So far over 400 disconnected hours have already been pledged by the team, clients and people that came to the Business Showcase South West in May, where the initiative was launched.
We’re actively looking for partner organisations to get involved with promoting the importance of regularly disconnecting from all things digital.
To take part in Disconnect Day visit www.disconnectday.co.uk and use the hashtag #DisconnectDay to join in the conversation on Twitter and Instagram
