Famous Teens Unplug
Miley Cyrus had the interwebs buzzing last week when she sent out her last tweet, revealing she was shutting down her Twitter account. Fans and followers seemed devastated with this sudden online breakup. Tweets including #bringmileyback quickly became a Twitter trending topic.
Cyrus explained her decision in an official blog post (and in a rap video she uploaded to YouTube this weekend)
At 16-years old, Cyrus seems to be the latest teen celeb opting to disconnect. While Millennials ((those born between 1980-2000) have grown up with all these tools at their fingertips, could they be making a conscious decision to go back to basics? Is cutting the digital chord just a trend or is this the beginning of a new movement?
I recently caught up with 12-year old, Aria Wallace, who many tweens might recognize from the popular Nickelodeon TV show, iCarly. Today she begins a 40-day mission to be completely unplugged. The Going Old School campaign is in conjunction with the Temptation of a Generation book series, which takes on issues including cyber-bullying and sexting.
The official rules are as follows:
1. No cell phone use or texting
2. Home phone use for ten (10) minutes per day
4. Payphones are allowed
5. No social networking
6. Internet usage limited to schoolwork and the blog/vlog
So we’re not talking about completely being disconnected, cutting yourself off from civilization and setting up shop in a cabin in the middle of nowhere. Yet these small steps are definitely a statement, the sentiments of a new generation who could be rebelling against this accessibility we’ve all become so accustomed to. Yep, face-to-face value might just be the new commodity, something those Miley fans might have a hard time to snag.
Cyrus explained her decision in an official blog post (and in a rap video she uploaded to YouTube this weekend)
At 16-years old, Cyrus seems to be the latest teen celeb opting to disconnect. While Millennials ((those born between 1980-2000) have grown up with all these tools at their fingertips, could they be making a conscious decision to go back to basics? Is cutting the digital chord just a trend or is this the beginning of a new movement?
I recently caught up with 12-year old, Aria Wallace, who many tweens might recognize from the popular Nickelodeon TV show, iCarly. Today she begins a 40-day mission to be completely unplugged. The Going Old School campaign is in conjunction with the Temptation of a Generation book series, which takes on issues including cyber-bullying and sexting.
The official rules are as follows:
1. No cell phone use or texting
2. Home phone use for ten (10) minutes per day
4. Payphones are allowed
5. No social networking
6. Internet usage limited to schoolwork and the blog/vlog
So we’re not talking about completely being disconnected, cutting yourself off from civilization and setting up shop in a cabin in the middle of nowhere. Yet these small steps are definitely a statement, the sentiments of a new generation who could be rebelling against this accessibility we’ve all become so accustomed to. Yep, face-to-face value might just be the new commodity, something those Miley fans might have a hard time to snag.
