Wouldn't you just love to have this problem: can you survive a day without computers/internet?

Submitted by Tobias Eigen on 29 April, 2008 - 17:50.

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Via incom-l mailing list, I received the following message about the shutdownday.org campaign which is encouraging people to shut down their computers on Saturday 3 May. This is an interesting initative, and from our perspective of working with computing in African civil society it raises the starkness of the digital divide between North America and Africa. Consider this in contrast to Jare's blog post recently about the difficulties of working under conditions in which one doesn't even know how long the computer will even be running and you get a sense of what I mean.

This week we've been experimenting with a tool to enable us all to post to the Kabissa blog, member news and resource listings by email - I am typing this post via gmail right now. I think this type of thing will help to ease the frustrations caused by access problems at least so that Kabissa members can draft their content offline like they would an email and then connect to post it. Stay tuned.

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2008/04/28/shutdown_day/
A group of Canadian self-confessed geeks is asking concerned citizens to turn off their tech on Saturday 3 May - dubbed "Shutdown Day <http://www.shutdownday.org/>" - in an attempt to "spread awareness about the pitfalls and dangers that lie in the extended and unnecessary use of, and exposure to television, computers and computing equipment".

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from the organiser's website:

It is obvious that without computers we would find our life extremely difficult, maybe even impossible. If they disappeared for just one day, would we be able to cope?

Be part of one of the biggest global experiments ever to take place on the Internet. The idea behind Shutdown Day is to find out how many people can go without a computer for one whole day, and what will happen if we all participate!

Shutdown your computer on 03 May 2008 and find out!
http://www.shutdownday.org/

Comments

a person who has no footwear...

Submitted by aseto on 29 April, 2008 - 21:22.

Dear Tobias,

I've just viewed your most recent posting concerning computer shutdown on May 3. I am excited by the announcement of Shutdown's timing - coming at a time when Kabissa is just out with its new experiment of posting into web from email. For many of us in Africa, this (Kabissa's new initiative) is a very important move - for reasons implied in my last writeup and which you hinted at.

I'm happy that in drawing attention to the material by the shutdown.org, you are also calling attention to my piece. The Canadian initiative, I believe, viewed with my piece and the attention you are drawing to it, stand a good chance of making many to appreciate our own plight here in Africa.

Visiting Shutdown's site, I read that Shutdown Day was founded with the sole purpose of spreading awareness about the pitfalls and dangers that lie in the excessive use of television, computers, and computing equipment like game boxes, cell phones, music players, online social websites, etc. that impinge on social space and interaction amongst our communities.

I have no doubt for the affluent members of the human population, some of the time behind the computer etc can be considered 'excessive', but for millions of us in third world countries, we do not have the access.

So the experiment initiated by Shutdown, rather than making us realise how much time we are wasting behind the computer is perhaps to let others realise how much we here are in need ...

Perhaps a question of reverse objective or something

We have a saying here to wit: a person who has no footwear was fond of considering himself unfortunate until he saw a person who has no foot. Tobias, I believe that saying summarises the point you are trying to make with the attention you drew to the materials in quetion.

ASETO on behalf of African organisations like to thank Kabissa for its initiative generally and this time for coming up with the possibility of posting materials from email.

Keep improving and stay in touch.

Regards,

Jare Ajayi

17 de Mayo, diadeinternet

Submitted by Tobias Eigen on 30 April, 2008 - 16:22.

Thanks, Jare! I appreciate your thoughtful attention to this blog post and taking the time to explore the Canadian site and give them feedback also. This is clearly an important issue to you and well worth devoting time to discussing.

A colleague recently sent me a link to another related site, Internet Day:

In a word, it is a date which seeks to show the potential of new technology to improve the living standards of nations and their people."

Sounds good! I had not yet heard of the campaign at all and it does not appear to be gathering much momentum on the Internet (or at least in Google, where it did not appear on the first or second pages of search results).

I have added it to the Kabissa calendar - and would be very interested in learning if Kabissa members decide to get involved and hold Internet Day events in their communities.

Cheers,

Tobias