On Sunday, September 22nd, Dubai is going to hold its inaugural phone-free meetup. Visitors will disconnect from their phones and reestablish relationships with others in a non-digital setting as a Jumeirah café is transformed into a technology-free zone.
In order to bring their expanding offline community movement to Dubai, Offline Club, based in the Netherlands, has teamed up with Seva Café to create this digital detox.
Cell phones were checked upon arrival at the café and returned only at the conclusion of the visit. The absence of electronic distractions allows guests to engage in various activities such as reading, writing, painting, or simply striking up a conversation with a stranger.
The three club founders, who are in their late 20s, were raised in the internet age. The club's initial seeds were planted in the summer of 2021 when Jordy Van Bennekom, a 28-year-old Dutchman and one of its co-founders, took a weekend away from it all to read, think, and slow down in a house in the Netherlands surrounded by nature. He returned completely rejuvenated.
The significant impact of the time spent away from his electronics inspired him to partner up with his friends Ilya Kneppelhout and Valentijn Klok to create The Offline Club in February 2024.
Around the world, people are facing a digital overload and loneliness issue. This is when the offline movement has made its impact. Globally, the typical individual looks at a screen for six hours and forty minutes a day, two of which are spent scrolling via social media, according to DataReportal's January 2024 study.
Increased levels of anxiety, hopelessness, and loneliness have been linked to excessive use of social media, according to the World Health Organization (WHO).
