Back for another year, the 2016 Canadian Internet Marketing Conference (CIMC) will feature a powerhouse line-up of more than 30 of the world’s top minds and movers of the digital marketing industry. FreshGigs.ca got the awesome opportunity to have a pre-conference brain-picking sesh with each of the keynote speakers and panelists. Today’s Q & A is with Christina Crook, author of The Joy of Missing Out.
Did you ever imagine being an ambassador for slowing down in an era of rapid media consumption? What prompted your journey into the value of analog living in the digital age?
I didn’t envision this for myself. Like most of our personal and professional lives, getting here was a journey. I grew up in a pretty analog home, but so did most kids growing up in the 80s! My parents were not early adopters and we didn’t spend much time in front of screens. Having six brothers and sisters keeps things pretty interesting on its own.
My interest in the impacts in the Web began studying Communication at Simon Fraser University. After graduation I kept my eye on trends and articles. I had a grandma who was a newspaper clipper and I followed her example, clipping and archiving newspaper and magazine articles over about 10 years as Google and social media came on the scene. So, I guess that’s pretty analog.
Once I was thoroughly immersed in blogging (I was an early Xanga user) and set up with Facebook, I noticed a marked shift in my relationships. Personal contact dropped dramatically and I noticed. Upon learning of my stirring desire to slow down, a good friend of mine – Matthew Cowper, recommended I read Eric Brende’s book Better Off: Flipping the Switch on Technology.
If you are spending your days photoshopping your life for Instagram, that IS your life.
It was fitting that Matthew recommended it. I say fitting because of the type of friendship Matthew and I had fostered; the kind that took account of ideas before news. The kind that spilled over long meals and slow meanders along the Pacific Coast. Fitting because Matthew grew up in an old family cabin sheltered on a hill, in a bay, on a small gulf island off British Columbia’s coast — the slowest place I can imagine — and, notably, the utter opposite of my suburban childhood.
I devoured Better Off. And soon after I gave up the Internet.
What would you say to someone who wanted to develop guidelines for a technological fast/Sabbath? How should they begin?
First things first: turn off all notifications on your phone. Nothing should beep, buzz, ping or vibrate. Period. Reclaim your life. Second, start doing stuff and leave your phone at home. I love the quote from Annie Dillard that says, “How we spend our days is, of course, how we spend our lives.” Think about it. If you are spending your days photoshopping your life for Instagram, that IS your life.
How can those whose livelihood depends on staying “connected” maintain a healthy level of connectivity without losing themselves to the tide of stress that comes from overexposure?
I truly believe it is possible. I’ve seen it done. Darian Kovacs of Jelly Marketing does it well. It comes down to discipline. One CEO I spoke with on a recent flight told me that he has a firm ending time every day – 6pm. This helps him refuel daily.
I would recommend an entire day offline every week for everyone. The truth is: the world keeps on turning without our words, without our likes and dislikes. Immersing ourselves in the real world: the physical, messy, breathing world restores us to go back to the work.
“Always on” used to be Blackberry’s mantra and I can tell you from conversations from people on the ground, always on is simply not sustainable, or enjoyable!
If you had to permanently disconnect from one aspect of technology or social media, which would it be?
Hmmm. This is a good question. Honestly: email. It is the bane of my existence. A colleague of mine, Kate Unsdale, Founder and CEO of VINAYA wearable technology, has essentially crafted an email-free life. She has an auto-responder that asks you to call her. Her incoming emails dropped by 90%. Beauty. I need space to create. We all do. I’ll take as much as I can get. 🙂
Christina Crook is the author and storyteller on a mission to show people overwhelmed by our digitally-saturated culture how to get a breath of fresh air and live with a sense of intentionality and joy. Her 2015 book, The Joy of Missing Out: Finding Balance in a Wired World, has made her a leading voice in a growing movement towards a more human relationship with modern technology. Her cultural commentary on technology and daily life has appeared in print and on air from The New York Times to Psychology Today, Utne Reader, NPR, CTV Morning News, Sirius XM New York, and over 25 CBC programs.
The CIMC runs April 14-15, 2016 at the West Coast Railway Heritage Park in Squamish BC, Canada. For more conference and ticket info, click here.