Digital Detox the Swedish way: stay offline, stay overnight for free
In Gothenburg, a hotel lets guests stay for free if they keep their hands off their smartphones.
Digital detox is the trend. Most people spend far too much time in cyberspace, devoting hours a day to their social media profiles. It is clear that this addictive behavior is not healthy in the long term. Many health insurance companies have long since put the topic on their prevention map and are motivating their customers to spend more time offline instead of online.
In Sweden, the insurance company Länsförsäkringar, in collaboration with the agency Stendahls, has developed a lamp that changes color when the recommended daily social media usage time of 30 minutes is reached. The red light is a reminder that real life takes place outside - and is much healthier for body and mind. The lamp measures social media traffic via Wi-Fi and thus makes overconsumption visible.
But that's not all: at the Bellora Hotel in Gothenburg, a lamp was installed to match the lamp. "Check Out Suite" set up. The system is simple: the less time guests spend on social media, the less they end up paying for their hotel room. The price starts at zero and 20 Swedish kronor is added for every minute of online use. After 30 seconds, the light switches to red and the full price is charged. Incidentally, this was a one-off promotion on February 14 - so you don't need to pack your suitcase right away. But a little less online won't hurt anyway.
