More than 200 people found themselves in a Amsterdam park for a very particular event: a whole hour of silent reading without smartphones. The initiative, organized by The Offline Club, has been defined as a real reading Rave: no deafening music, but only books, acoustic guitar in the background and the pleasure of detaching from daily frenzy.
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The philosophy of the “offline clubs”
The project was born in the Netherlands and is rapidly spreading in Europe. The idea is simple but powerful: to create spaces where you can meet without the mediation of a screen. From the coffee of Berlin to the Piazze di Milano, to London and Barcelona, more and more young people choose to disconnect to live authentic experiences. Even non -European cities, like Dubai, have already adopted this format.
The offline clubs are not limited to reading events: there are also real retreats of Digital Detox, during which smartphones and computers are spent to return to a simpler sociality. Paradoxically, the movement still uses social media to spread the message and reach new members: the official account already counts more than 574,000 followers.
A silent protest against the Infinito Scroll
Participating in an offline club event means taking part in a sort of cultural protest against the incessant rhythm of notifications, feeds and messages. Instead of likes and stories, we focus on concrete activities such as reading, board games and face -to -face conversations. In fact, many young people say they feel more serene when they reduce the time spent online and on the other hand they feel worse after hours spent on social media.
How to participate or open a club
Anyone can join or even open their local club, following the official training made available by the Network. The goal is not to demonize technology, but to promote a more conscious use, returning to young people the opportunity to live real time.
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