You don’t have to convince us that screen addiction is a thing... it’s kind of our whole M.O. over here. Still, (unlike Billie Eilish) we might be inclined to take a full day off from compulsively refreshing our social media feeds if $2400 were on the line. That’s what Reviews.org is thinking with its new 2021 Digital Detox Challenge, a contest dangling over two grand in cash for select participants who abstain from all electronics for a full 24-hours.
“Do you need to escape your daily routine with a digital detox? We know it’s hard to take even a day away from work, school, socializing, games, and the endless scrolling and streaming online, but what if we could make it worth your while?” explained Reviews.org’s Trevor Wheelwright earlier this month. “Reviews.org wants to give someone $2,400 to go 24 hours without technology — we have a feeling someone out there needs a break.”
Applications are currently open until March 26th, and winners will be announced via the site’s YouTube page on March 29th.
Thankfully, microwaves don’t make the cut —
Reviews.org’s prohibition list is pretty extensive, ensuring you can fully live your best Luddite life for a full day. According to the site, no cell phones, TV, gaming consoles, computers, smartwatches, or any smart home devices (i.e. smart speakers or Roombas) can be enjoyed during your lockdown. But don’t worry, microwaves are given a pass: “We’re not monsters,” Reviews.org assures us.
You have to show the receipts —
You didn’t think you could just get by on promising not to boot up your PlayStation 5 for a whole day, did you? Reviews.org will be sending participants a time-locking safe (“as seen on Shark Tank,” no less), in which they must deposit all their various electronic distractions.
This year’s Digital Detox Challengers will also receive a $200 Amazon gift card to assemble a “techless survival kit,” with suggestions like books, board games, writing stationery and the like. Digital Detoxers will give Reviews.org “some feedback on [their] experience, and review [their] techless 24-hour survival kit” after submitting screen time reports to prove they lasted the full time period. Only then, brave competitors, will you be rewarded more money than the U.S. government provided you during a deadly pandemic.
Seems simple, right? Well, if you think so, then go right ahead and throw your name into the electronic hat. Meanwhile, we’ll keep on compulsively refreshing our Twitter feeds for Elon Musk’s latest dumbass comments.
