外研社2019新版选修2unit2social media detox

Moderator: Today marks the last day of the Social MediaDetox, Brenton High's fundraising campaign for new sports equipment. At the start of the detox, over 100 students had been persuaded to stop using social media, in ANY form, for seven days. This meant no messaging friends, no posting photos, no blogging- nothing. They had been promised money by family and friends for each day spent without using social media. They were excited. They were nervous. But could they do it?

With the detox now finished, they've switched on their devices and they're back online. I bet you're as eager as I am to find out just how many have been motivated enough to last the full seven days! And what, if anything, has been learnt from the experience?

Anna: I lasted two days. The detox was more difficult to tolerate than I had expected. I felt like I had lost an arm! Not eating for two days would have been easier! But on reflection, I can see how much of my time had been occupied with checking my phone. I'm now trying to spend less time online and more time picking up my hobbies.

Devon: I lasted four days. On Monday, my classmate and I spoke about what we did at the weekend-- it felt really strange not to already know what he had done. We would usually have posted pictures and updated our profiles. Doing the detox meant we had to talk and explain what we were doing and thinking! It made me realise the value of real contact that I had forgotten. Cindy: I managed the whole week! At first, I really felt I was missing out. Then, instead of messaging my friend, I went round to her house. Without our phones, we had a proper conversation for over two hours, without being distracted by messages from other people. It felt so good! Then I decided to visit a different friend every day. By the fifth day, I wondered-- was I really missing out by not constantly checking my phone to see what everyone else was up to? George: I did all seven days, too! To be honest, I didn't find the detox too difficult, but I did give my phone to my dad to avoid giving in! My brother thought I should make full use of the time without my phone, so he took me to check out our local sports centre. An hour's sport each day left me tired out and wanting to go to bed early. The detox made me healthier!

Max: I'm embarrassea to say that I threw in the towel on the first day: I knew there was a party happening that evening, but without access to social media I couldn't remember where it was! In the end, I turned on my phone to check, but couldn't resist having a quick look at my social media accounts. What's worse, I then spent so much time catching up on news, I almost missed the party!

Moderator: The detox raised a total of £1,632.82 for new school sports equipment! Well done, everyone who took part! After reading the posts on this forum, it seems that something other than money has also been raised through the detox. Awareness of just how much we rely on social media can help us step away from it and communicate with each other better.