Looking for Eye Contact in Quarantine

I live alone in New York, which means my bed is in my kitchen and I haven’t made eye contact in a month.

“Breaking up with your phone….means prioritizing real-life relationships over those that take place on screen.” — Catherine Price, Breaking Up With Your Phone

“Online interactions aren’t just different from real-world interactions; they’re measurably worse.” — Adam Alter, Irresistible

“If you only ever spend time online a part of you withers away,” Hillary Cash, clinical psychologist

I live alone in New York, which means my bed is in my kitchen and I haven’t made eye contact in a month. All my friend and work interactions have gone digital: from face time to FaceTime, Zoom becomeing a pre-fix to everything. My phone, the addictive black brick which was always supposedly keeping me from “real” human interaction, is now my only window to that interaction. It’s pisspoor timing, too, because last month I had come to a realization: I was addicted to my phone.

The first Friday in March is “National Unplugging Day.” It’s a 24-hour, device-free day, which lasts from sunset to sunset like a religious observance. You’re encouraged to use no phones, no computers, no emails, and no social media. No…