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Smartphones are a technical marvel.
But they are also highly addictive, primarily because of social media engagement.
It's a vicious cycle where one posts a photo or thought of the day and constantly checks in to respond with any comments that follow. There are texts to answer and emails to send.
Who has time to put their phone down?
But Vitaminwater is challenging anyone willing to go off the grid for an entire year. And they are offering $100,000 as an incentive.
To whoever gets picked.
we tried to get Brandon to make this deal, but he is too busy – will you turn off your phone for a year instead?… https://t.co/0zWnfvTB1N— vitaminwater® (@vitaminwater®)1544538570.0
The Coca-Cola-owned company's "Scroll Free For a Year" contest was announced on Tuesday and outlined the rules on the Vitaminwater website.
Here are some of the basics:
- You can enter the contest through the hashtags #nophoneforayear and #contest on Twitter and Instagram.
- Explain why you need a break from your phone and what you would do with your free time.
- The deadline to enter is by 11:59 p.m. ET on January 8, 2019.
- One entry will be picked on January 22, 2019 and notified by Vitaminwater through the contestant's social media account.
- The grand prize is a "1966-era cellular telephone" which will be used by the winner with an accompanying phone plan.
- The winner will also sign a contract committing to no smartphone usage for a year and will be rewarded with $100,000 if there is no evidence of a breach at the end of that year.
Prospective participants have already answered the call.
Can you relate to some of these motives?
@vitaminwater #nophoneforayear #contest I would spend my time with my daughter and would actually to be able to fin… https://t.co/qzHAhmjhHz— Sofia (@Sofia)1544669771.0
@vitaminwater I could definitely be a year without my phone, I would travel more, sleep more, read more than I read… https://t.co/MXU2XsXbj8— pao (@pao)1544821278.0
@vitaminwater I am ready to take part in the competition #NoPhoneForAYear. Sooooo I want in our age of smartphones… https://t.co/klDdoGSkMv— Елена (@Елена)1544794070.0
@vitaminwater What would I do if I had #NoPhoneForAYear? Be a better father/husband who's not always on social medi… https://t.co/hFbJnA8awo— Todd Canaday (@Todd Canaday)1544793591.0
@vitaminwater I would focus on my health &getting back to the gym & gettingmy confidence back! I sit on social medi… https://t.co/zpxOEF2TXJ— jazmin (@jazmin)1544851111.0
@vitaminwater I can remember a time when i was young my friends family and I hangout more and we visited more peopl… https://t.co/f9lMgpstik— Jonathan Thomas (@Jonathan Thomas)1544786256.0
@vitaminwater One of my boys once asked me, “How many likes did my picture get?” I get what you’re doing here, and… https://t.co/Ml428UYuMp— Sharifa Coover (@Sharifa Coover)1544878977.0
@vitaminwater I want to participate in this test because I need money to cover my life and to prove that we can all… https://t.co/3UgiwgkeBj— Nguyễn Chí Thành (@Nguyễn Chí Thành)1544790041.0
While the pervasive device constitutes an appendage for some people, there is potential for mental health risks for those addicted to their phones, according to Forbes.
A study was conducted by MIT's Sloan Management Review in which students in Italy and France were required to give up their phones for one day. Feelings of anxiety and loss of motivation were some of the results.
A separate but similar experiment in the U.S. showed signs of depression, cognitive impairment and feelings of loss and isolation from those who were heavily reliant on their smartphones.
It might do us all some good to take a break.
The question is, can you even last one week?