The co-founders of DreamJobbing think they are…
The DreamJobbing team partnered with the Tourism Authority of Thailand and offered 5 millennials the chance to leave their digital devices behind and have a coming-of-age adventure. They filmed the experience and turned it into a travel documentary called Escape: A Digital Detox in Thailand which premieres this Sunday at 9 pm EST on Outside TV.
There’s been an influx of digital detox experiences on the rise. From Arianna Huffington’s new company Thrive to phone-less retreats, lifestyle and sleep aid products; consumers are searching for ways to unplug. A new study featured in the Harvard Business Review claims that the average Facebook user spends almost an hour on the site every day. And that’s not even including other social media apps. Another industry expert claimed that the average user spends 3 hours a day on their phone; that equals 45 entire days a year. Digital addictions are real, and causing harm to our brains, emotions, and daily lives. From Instagram to Snapchat to LinkedIn to iMessage to Email- we live in an age of information overload.
As someone who loves traveling, I’ve seen the addiction magnified abroad. I’ve watched friends desperately try to digitally capture every moment, instead of enjoying the present gifts. This not only takes away from the experience, but also takes away from the entire point of a vacation. The root word of vacation means leisure and freedom. The origin signifies freedom from obligations. There is a trend in millennials desiring off-the-grid experiences, trips where they can immerse in a new culture and immerse within themselves. They crave freedom and challenges. They want to feel alive.
I interviewed Lisa Hennessy, the co-founder of DreamJobbing and the Executive Producer of Escape, to get her take on digital addiction and what she learned while filming:
Q: How did you come up with the idea for Escape?
A: Our friends at Thailand Tourism asked us to come up with an idea that would inspire the backpacker audience. As an avid traveler myself, we thought what would be the 2017 version of the classic movie The Beach? We came up with the idea to cast 5 strangers and give them an epic adventure with one catch - they had to leave their phones and social media behind.
Q: How did you cast the social experiment? How were the five millennials chosen?
A: We got the word out on social media and then people applied with one minute videos on our platform DreamJobbing.com. It was super hard narrowing it down to the final 5 - ALL the applicants seemed so desperate to disconnect and go on this amazing adventure.
Q: How did you craft the adventure the cast embarked on?
A: We have worked with Thailand Tourism on a number of campaigns and know the country extremely well. I also have some good friends who live in country who gave us amazing advice. We wanted to create an authentic, transformative journey for the cast.
Q: During the filming, what did you learn about digital addiction?
A: We are ALL addicted to our phones. It’s a real problem. We use our phones to tell the time, navigate, connect, and avoid. We are addicted to information and scroll our Facebook and Instagram feeds WAY more than we like to admit. Once the cast disconnected from the Digital world - they got CONNECTED with being in the moment. I saw real emotion. It was beautiful to watch.
Q: As someone who loves the story, where can others watch the documentary?
A: It’s airing on Outside TV this weekend on June 18th at 9 pm and repeating: 6/19 – 8pm/et, 6/20 – 5pm/et, 6/22 – 12pm/et, 6/23 – 8pm/et, 6/24 – 4pm/et, 6/25 – 9pm/et.
Summary of the documentary:
The chosen five millennials are challenged both physically and mentally as they embark on new adventures in Thailand. They are forced to connect fully with their surroundings and the people in front of them. It’s a feel-good hour episode that shows what happens when you truly live in the moment; when you’re forced to terms with just how far digital addictions are affecting our lives. From navigating a new country, rappelling down the side of a cliff, kayaking, exploring ancient beaches, learning from monks, to staying with a local Muslim family- the audience is reminded of the joy that can be found in the simplest of moments and why so many of us desire travel in the first place. Following each individual’s story is delightful and refreshing. And as the journey comes to an end, your heart can’t help but sink as the phones are returned.
To see more before the premiere, click the following teaser. And if you want to meet the cast, watch the following: Meet the Cast.
Photography: Lisa Hennessy, SantiPhotoSS/Shutterstock.com, saiko3p/shutterstock.com, Brooke Sullivan