I understand their dismay. 24 hours wouldn't bother me extraordinarily, but 48 hours would be too much isolation for me.

I think this would be similar for my age group to insisting students not interact with anyone at all for 24 hours. We used meatspace for our social interactions, and younger people don't. (Why this change causes so much hand-wringing by my elders I do not know.)

Not only would I not want to spend 24 hours without electronic media, I can't understand people who do. I've been setting up appointments for new organists at my church via e-mail, and they'll write back 5 days later, oh sorry, I was out of town. I'm like, yes, AND? No excuse!

I did this once a few years ago, took a week away from electronic media, just to see if I could. And ohmigod was it so difficult. But I did it. I read more books, took more walks, met more people.

Once our cable box, which controls our internet, cable, and phone, literally blew off our building and it was three days before somebody could fix it. I missed TV and internet, but it wasn't that bad. I'm old enough to remember when there was no cable or internet. and both my parents can remember when there was no TV and when phones in the home were a luxury.

How does one avoid electronic media without holing up in a closet with the light turned out? Today, even most ordinary books are in digital form from their origin until the laser etches the plates for the press.

That crosswalk light is an electronic medium, as are sirens, turning signals and most of a modern car's dashboard. Many signs now are electronic billboards.

Also, what about the carryover of information from the days previous to the fast? Did no one read weather forecasts for that day? Did no one contemplate political issues?

Hell, given the role of ionization in solar fusion, one could argue that sunlight is an electronic medium.

Reminds me of Lore Sjoberg's Internet Vacation.

Does no one go to the wilderness anymore? Actually, this is funny, I just went to what I thought would be the wilderness, or at least Wilderness Light for people like me who don't enjoy hiking and camping but like being out in the middle of nowhere, and there was a big fat tv in the cabin with DirectTV. Heh.

Anyway, the place I vacation every year has no tv, no newspaper, cell phones don't work, and you gotta walk down to the post office to use the public phone, only last year when I did that to see if there were any messages on my answering machine at home, I couldn't, because the 7 on that phone wouldn't work. No stores or restaurants neither. So technology there, for visitors, (residents all have dishes, of course) is limited to the radio. It's really enjoyable.

I just took a brief break from my computer (a few days while I was out at PYM). I usually use my cell phone only minimally (to talk with my family/coordinate with my S.O.), listen to NPR in the car, and don't watch TV.

My grandmother promptly needed to have surgery, necessitating an emergency phone call with my little sister, who was supposed to be sent up to Chicago to take care of her (sister is SO not ready for this).

Clearly, the internet keeps us healthy.

I hate the phone so losing that wouldn't be a problem. I'm fairly ambivalent about TV and I'll go for weeks without turning it on. I am fairly attached to the internets but don't have a problem being away from it for a week or more due to holidays. BUT! should my internet connection go down when it shouldn't, you'd better look out. I get very cranky.