Disconnect Me – a digital detox film

Could you survive without a mobile phone? What a scary thought, especially in this day and age when everything including social media is accessible literally through our fingertips.

Australian filmmaker Alex Lykos takes audiences on a journey, a journey that lasts 30 days as he detoxes and steers away from this modern and vastly used, or perhaps more aptly, overused technology.

“I found myself constantly scrolling mindlessly through my socials and would then feel worse after doing it. I’d be like, wow I’ve just spent an hour doing nothing but scrolling and now I feel worse,” explained Lykos. “I needed a circuit breaker and that’s when the idea came for me to digitally detox for 30 days. Then I thought I might as well chart this little journey.”

This documentary is fun, engaging, and entertaining. Audiences should learn more about the role technology plays in our lives, but most importantly it’s quite a unique cinematic event. Audiences will be told not to switch off their mobiles as they will use them doing the course of the screening.

“At different points in the film we ask audiences to google key terms, vote on important questions using a QR code and we even provide time for audiences to check their notifications.”

When asked whether audiences may be shocked at the outcome of the experiment Lykos was quick to respond.

“I don’t think so. I think people are getting a better understanding of their addiction with mobiles or social media, so hopefully this film leads to more discussion and spreads awareness. I would say society is manipulated to a certain degree so we are all more dependent on our mobiles and social media. The longer we spend on our mobiles, the more money the industry is making.”

Janette Lakiss who served as Executive Producer on the project was in total agreeance.

“Most people are becoming dependent on their mobile phones and social media. Whether it’s too dependent is another question because the reality is, can we live without our mobile phones? For many people our mobile phones have become our walking office. But it’s very refreshing to know that when it’s getting too much for us that we can control it.”

Lykos stresses that the message delivered is not that technology, mobiles and social media are bad, but quite the opposite. “They are tremendous tools. I have friends in the USA and Greece and social media is how we continue to communicate. Through this process, I have come to understand and the theme of the film is, as long as we use technology so it serves us, not controls us, then technology is terrific.”

Now that the experiment is over, Lykos was asked whether he could survive without a mobile phone or social media. “I can’t survive without a mobile but I sure can without social media. I guess that was one of the anti-climaxes of the experiment. The first few days without social media were hard, but soon afterwards it became easier which made me realize just how insignificant it is.”

Lakiss also added that she definitely could not survive without a mobile phone. “But my 96 year-old mother does quite easily! She doesn’t have a mobile phone or social media, just the house phone.”

This is a standout film that should be classified as mandatory viewing, as hopefully it spreads awareness and positively changes our relationship with technology in the years to come.

“It doesn’t matter whether you’re a teenager, an adult, or a parent, or in a relationship, you will get something out of this film and it will lead to more discussion which I think is what is needed, that is, talk more about how to co-exist with technology in a healthier way,” concluded Lykos.

17th September 6:00pm – Sydney premiere at Enmore Theatre.

24th September 6:30pm – Advanced Q&A at Randwick Ritz

19^th October – national general release.

www.disconnectmefilm.com