healthmedicinet

In an attempt to get people outside “where only the birds tweet,” the town of Ely, Minn., has announced a ban on social media, going into effect on April 1, 2013.

“The only thing online here is a fish. And why would anyone need Pinterest?” Ross Petersen, Mayor of Ely, said in a statement. “We have a big bulletin board over at the grocery store for that sort of thing. Or the Twitter? We have at least 140 characters right here, living in Ely. And don’t even get me started on the kids listening to their Zunes.”

Petersen explained that the town’s April Fool’s Day prank is meant to raise awareness about how much time people spend online and the importance of appreciating nature and face-to-face communication.

“We’ve got a million acres of exclusive content, and hundreds of sites you can visit — in person,” Petersen added.

Voted the “Coolest Small Town in America” by readers of Budget Travel, Ely is known for its small-town ambiance, local art scene and miles of beautiful lakes and forests.

All residents and visitors in the Northern Minnesota town will be asked to refrain from social media use starting on the first of April. The “ban” may eventually extend to all electronic device usage in and around Ely, according to the statement, as a way to encourage people to look up from their gadgets and enjoy nature.

“Ely prides itself on being a place to get away form the hustle and bustle of everyday life,” Linda Fryer, administrative director of the Ely Chamber of Commerce, told the Huffington Post. “We try to look at ourselves as a way to reconnect with family and friends, and have those face-to-face conversations.”

The ban may be in jest, but the April Fools’ prank stems from real issues, like the importance of unplugging. Spending too much time using technology can result in negative health impacts including higher stress levels, disrupted sleep, decreased productivity and poor posture. Last month, thousands of Americans turned off their phones and took a brief hiatus from social media for the National Day of Unplugging.

“I think when all this social media started, it was supposed to make our lives easier,” said Fryer. “But … people are just spending hours and hours and hours [on the Internet]. I’m not sure it’s making things easier.”

In response to many Internet users’ growing addiction to social media, author and HuffPost blogger Julie Spira coined the term Social Media Anxiety Disorder, characterized by an excessive reliance on smartphones, anxiety about receiving responses to social media updates, and texting at the dinner table, among other symptoms. SMAD may not be a real medical condition, but Internet Addiction Disorder is, and many treatment centers are now in place to address this growing problem.

But even if Internet usage hasn’t become a full-blown addiction, digital detoxes can be beneficial to anyone. The town of Ely’s hope is to encourage residents to improve the quality of their lives by taking a little time to unplug.

“We hope, not only for our visitors but also for our residents and people who live in the surrounding area that it’s a wake-up call,” said Fryer. “We hope it makes people realize how much time they’re actually spending doing these things, and not connecting with people as we knew connecting with people years ago.”

Also on HuffPost:

Loading Slideshow

• You Have To Respond… Immediately

  If an unanswered texts or emails gets your heart rate going, there’s a good chance that your smartphone is adding stress to your life rather than making it easier. Constantly interrupting what you’re doing — whether it’s writing a college essay or spending some quality time with your friends — to check your phone might be an indication that your behavior has become compulsive. When you start getting anxious about your inbox, take a moment to step back and remind yourself that it’s probably not as urgent as it seems. Sleeping with your phone away from your bed and keeping it in your backpack instead of your pocket during class can also gradually help to lessen your urge to be constantly checking for new messages.

• You Have Phantom Cellphone Syndrome

  You could’ve sworn you felt your phone vibrating in your back pocket, but when you took it out, you saw that nothing had happened. a href=”http://www.computerworld.com/s/article/9227184/Cellphone_vibration_syndrome_and_other_signs_of_tech_addiction” target=”_blank”Phantom cellphone vibration syndrome/a is a real sign of technology addiction — and it’s more common than you might think. A study conducted at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne found that a whoppinga href=”http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0747563212000799? target=”_blank” 89 percent/a of undergrads had experienced feeling nonexistent cellphone vibrations.

• You Have A Bad Case Of FOMO

  Are you constantly thinking about what everyone else is doing and all the things you might be missing out on at any given moment? Does scrolling through party photos and enthusiastic weekend updates on your News Feed make you feel sad or anxious? Well, there’s a name for that: FOMO. It’s not uncommon for ocial media and smartphone users to experience a “fear of missing out” when they’re unable to get to their phones or when they’re getting updates about all the exciting things that everyone in their social network is doing. The best way to combat FOMO is to step back and say no sometimes, and just take sometime to do whatever emyou /emwant — not what other people are doing or telling you to do.

• You’re Not Paying Attention To Your Friends Family

  We’ve all be there — you’re having dinner with friends or family with your phone sitting next to your plate, and instead of ignoring it, you turn your attention away from the conversation to respond to a text. While there’s nothing wrong with picking up important calls or excusing yourself to answer messages when necessary — but if you make a habit of giving only half your attention to the people you’re with while the other half is busy checking Twitter, it might be time to rethink your phone habits. To avoid damaging your relationships, make a resolution to give your full attention to whoever you’re with in person and save the screen time for later.

• You Feel Restless When You’re Away From Your Phone

  If you experience withdrawal when you can’t check your phone or respond to messages, you might have a technology addiction. a href=”http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/news/8235302/Facebook-generation-suffer-information-withdrawal-syndrome.html” target=”_blank”Studies have found/a that turning off their phones can induce physical and mental withdrawal symptoms similar to those exhibited by drug addicts. If you feel yourself becoming nervous and antsy when you’re away from your phone, take note of those feelings and find a coping mechanism — taking deep breaths, going for a walk or exercising could help you get past the anxiety.

• Poor Performance In School

  If you’re having an increasingly difficult time focusing in class and eagerly await the ringing of the bell so that you can check your phone and return that unanswered text, an Internet or smartphone addiction a href=”http://online.liebertpub.com/doi/abs/10.1089/cpb.1998.1.237? target=”_blank”may be partially to blame/a for low grades. Although there may be many factors at play in decreasing academic performance, constant distraction and excessive time spent on your smartphone can easily interfere with your schoolwork. If the lure of your phone is too powerful for you to concentrate on homework,a href=”http://mashable.com/2012/01/03/block-internet-distractions-apps/” target=”_blank” try downloading an app /athat blocks social media activity and online distractions.