Are Millennials attracted to the unplugged fantasy, or are they perfectly content with sharing their experiences?

1. unplugging.!
THE APPEAL OF
Breanne Martin!

2. The desire to disconnect from
society and live off-grid has
existed for generations. However,
in the age of social media and
constant connectivity, can we
really unplug ourselves from the
w o r l d a r o u n d u s ?
{

3. Does our generation even want to? !

4. Millennials spend about 18 hours
a day interacting with various
media sources, sometimes
If we’re sleeping the other 8
hours, that means that every
waking hour …
S i m u l t a n e o u s l y .!
Kate Taylor, 10/03/14, Entrepreneur.com

5. …we are connected.!

6. We aren’t only connected,
we are connecting. Using
social media requires
interacting with others, be
it in person or online. We
seek community. The
generation most likely to
place a phone call, we are
constantly attached,
constantly connecting.
John Busby, 09/04/14, Adage.com

7. Butareourflourishingsociallivesgoodforus?!

8. “We are prisoners of our phones and tablets and all our digital crap. I
am. You are. We all are. We get sucked into these stupid machines, see
reality through them. Instead of empowering us, we insist on giving
them our power… Persistent connectivity can degrade the
human experience.” Jesus Diaz, 02/05/13, Gizmodo.com

9. So if there’s more to the human experience
than constantly connecting with the people
around (or not around) us, what else is there?
W h a t i s o u r g e n e r a t i o n!
LACKING?

10. We’re forgetting to look at the world not through the lens of a
camera or a smartphone, but with our eyes. We’re so consumed with
learning, knowing and doing, perhaps we’re lacking actual…

11. experience.!

12. Perhaps we don’t need to go so far as to
live entirely off the map, but do we need to
bring our devices with us on a camping
trip? Would we still camp if we didn’t?

13. What if we didn’t just unplug
when we are out in the
wilderness, but simply outside?
If we stopped listening to our
iPods and put away our smart
phones when we’re walking
down the street, would it force
us to pay attention to the
w o r l d a r o u n d u s ? !
Susan D. Moeller, 2010.

14. So, millennials may be experts of
human connection, but what about
the human experience? Are we very
good at connecting with our
environments? Do we care?!

15. “The impulse to run away
to the proverbial edge of
things – to unplug, to
divest, to free oneself
f r o m l i f e ’ s i n f e r n a l
demands and material
trappings – has always
been an ongoing one. It is
one of those fairy tales
that is such an intrinsic
p a r t o f t h e h u m a n
condition, and which we
think will be an antidote to
all the responsibilities and
ties that so define our
l i v e s . !
!
But the truth is… we are
the architects [of our
lives]. As such, whenever
we dream of running away
to the ends of the earth,
the subtext underscoring
this fantasy is layered
with the dark realization:!
Douglas Kennedy, 02/02/14
The Fairy Tale Called ‘Paradise’

16. If we can’t live off the map and we can never
entirely disconnect, can we still experience
and is this experience degraded because of
o u r n e e d t o s h a r e i t ?

17. We upload 60 million
p h o t o s t o I n s t a g r a m
everyday… The majority of
which are not selfies.Craig Smith, 06/03/14.

18. Our desire to share our
experiences is a part of the
human experience. Naturally,
not every experience needs
to be shared online, however,
it is shared experience that
m a k e s a c o m m u n i t y.

19. If millennials are so good at
connection, which is achieved
through shared experiences,
then that must mean that we
aren’t lacking in them. In fact,
maybe we’re experiencing
more than the generations
b e f o re u s . A f t e r a l l …

20. HAPPINESS IS ONLY REAL WHEN
s h a r e d .!Christopher McCandless

21. References.!
”Millennials Spend 18 Hours a Day Consuming Media – And It’s
Mostly Content Created by Peers” by Kate Taylor. Entrepreneur.
March 10, 2014.
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/232062
“Millennials Aren’t Afraid of the Phone, or Human Connection”
by John Busby. Adage. April 9, 2014.
http://adage.com/article/cmo-strategy/marketers-wrong-millennials-a-
human-connection/292393/
“The Perfect Definition of This Goddamn Digital Life” by Jesus
Diaz. Gizmodo. May 2, 2013.
http://gizmodo.com/5981609/the-perfect-definition-of-this-goddamn-
digital-life
“Advantages of Unplugging” by Susan D. Moeller. A Day
Without Media. 2010.
http://withoutmedia.wordpress.com/study-conclusions/benefits/
“The Fair Tale Called ‘Paradise’” by Douglas Kennedy. February
3, 2014.
http://www.douglaskennedynovelist.com/tag/unplugging/
“(April 2014) By the Numbers: 70 Interesting Instagram
Statistics” by Craig Smith. March 6, 2014. Digital Marketing
Ramblings.
http://expandedramblings.com/index.php/important-instagram-stats/
#.U3_-dFiVkc5

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#2 The cabin from the nearby ridge by Seattle.roamer
#3 Bench Texting by Just Ard
#4 Texting in NYC Michele Ursino
#5 connecting… by GraceOda
#6 Texting in the Rain by Garry Knight
#7 Friends with Mobile Phones by Garry Knight
#8 Prison Bound by Thomas great deku tree
#10 Shoes by Ian Boyd
#11 GORE-TEX Experience Tour: All-out trail running in the Dolomites by Kelvin Trautman
#12 camping at cumberland 34 by Ellie
#13 The people that you meet when your walking down the street by Jeff Laitila
#14 Experience by Kris Williams
#15 Paradise Desire Panic by Steve Kennedy
#16 girls sharing by Jason Staten
#17 just a quick reminder by Felipe Tofani
#18 Sharing at Moment Piccadilly Circus by fdmount
#19 Explore by Geraint Rowland
#20 Smile by Nazer Khalid
#21 Minimalism outside by 55Laney69
#22 Society Gates by Raul Lieberwirth
*All photos have a creative commons license.