We've heard that people express their feelings by sharing kitty videos, and that search engines are rewiring our brains, but what are the effects of going tech-free?
A small British survey has revealed that now more than ever, people think of their tech tools as extensions of themselves, saying that going without them feels like losing a limb.
Intersperience, a British company, enlisted 1000 participants between 18 and 65 and tasked them with going unconnected for one full day, and then studied how they did.
Based on the feedback Intersperience got, disconnecting was pretty harsh for most giver-uppers. One user wrote that was "like having my hand chopped off," and someone else said it was their "biggest nightmare." But, some people did welcome at least the idea of a Web-less few hours, responding that it made them feel "free."
It's not surprising that Internet "addiction" has the younger crowd most tightly in its vice grip. People under 40 found it harder to put away their smartphones and unplug their computer.
The most painful and revealing aspect of the study had to do with our social selves. Forty percent of people polled admitted they felt "lonely" without televisions, social media or the Internet. Even if everyone didn't feel like their hand was hacked off, the experience did hurt ... inside.
— via the Washington Post, TechCrunch, etc.
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Nidhi Subbaraman writes about tech and science at msnbc.com. Find her on Twitter and Google+ and join our conversation on Facebook.
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