“Look Up”, a simple phrase that has taken on a new meaning as technology continues to advance and become integrated into every aspect of our daily lives. Evolving from “Look Out” or “Heads Up”; “Look Up” is focused on pulling people’s eyes away from their screens.
Imagine this: you just summited Mount Katahdin, an incredible all day hike nearby our Millinocket location. You are taking in the sights, sounds, and sense of accomplishment. You look over and see another family that had just summited as well, taking pictures. You continue soaking up the views and then look towards the family again. They aren’t taking photos anymore, but they are still staring down at their phones. You’re confused at how they could stand before such a spectacular sight and only ever experience it through a screen.
Interesting Statistics
According to recent data reported by Broadband Search, the average person spends “144 minutes using social media a day: an increase of 1 hour a day or up 62.5% over 2012.” They also project that the average person will spend nearly 7 years of their life using social media and over 8 years watching television. Broadband Search also breaks down “time spent on social media” by platform. Technology addiction has become a major problem that the modern world continues to combat. Because children are being exposed to technology at extremely young ages, they soon become dependent on it, or use it to cope by funneling their time into electronics rather than facing their problems head on.
Combatting Technology Addiction
Wilderness Therapy has come out of the woodwork as an excellent strategy to combat technology addiction. By removing a person from their devices and having them operate in an outdoor setting, it takes away their buffer and forces them to face their struggles head on without their typical coping mechanisms. A person can clearly establish and accomplish goals while learning healthy coping mechanisms that promote independence and self-efficiency. The instructors, therapists, and psychiatrists have the pleasure of watching people evolve into brand new versions of themselves as they walk out of their multi-week stay in the woods.
River Time
Time spent on the river is time spent experiencing life, unfiltered. Surrounded by the endless beauty of Maine’s expansive wild and immersed in the endless succession of adrenaline fueled moments, time spent on the river is time spent feeling truly alive.
By putting your phone down, closing your laptop, and turning off your television, you can fully immerse yourself into the adventure before you. At Three Rivers, we offer endless activities to help you unplug and reconnect. Remote adventures such as whitewater rafting on the Kennebec and Penobscot rivers render your phone useless due to the lack of service. You’ll be focused too hard paddling your heart out to care anyway. If you want to capture the moment, let the GoPro you might have mounted on your head or chest capture your trip. With our more mild adventures, such as our inflatable kayak, SUP, and tube rentals, phones are more easily accessible for photos, but the beauty of the outdoors and the majestic eagles flying overhead will most certainly make you forget all about your devices.
As the saying goes, a picture is worth 1000 words, but then how many is the full experience worth? If you don’t look up, you won’t be able to supplement your photos with YOUR story behind it. Free yourself from your screen and venture into the wild!