Is smartphone addiction a real problem? Vitaminwater seems to believe that is true and the company came up with a solution. Any person who can live without their smartphone for one year will win $100000. Sounds good? Well, it might be more complicated than you would think.
Rules
In order to enter this contest you will have to post either on Twitter or on Instagram a post in which you explain what you would do in that year without using your smartphone. Use the hashtags #nophoneforayear and #contest. Here is how to website promotes the contest:
did you know 1 out of 2 people say they couldn’t live without their smartphone? yikes. break the cycle with scroll-free life solutions™ by vitaminwater. how do I enter? it’s simple! share on twitter or instagram what you’d do instead of scrolling with hashtags #nophoneforayear and #contest. go scroll-free for a year, prove it, and you could win $100k. live the life you’ve always dreamed and more.
If you are selected you must sign a contract in which you agree that that you won’t use your smartphone for 365 consecutive days. You will be given a 1996 cellular phone that you can use for communication. You will even receive a phone plan for it. Here are the guidelines:
guidelines to assist a successful transition
- you may not use any smartphone for 365 days. if texting is a pleasant experience or you can get on the internet, it’s probably a smartphone.
- this means you may not physically operate, caress, hug or otherwise be physically affectionate with anyone’s smartphone.
- if you’re lying in bed and miss your phone, do not attempt to sneak a midnight scroll…just close your eyes and dream about vitaminwater®. that’s what we do. every night. and sometimes at the office.
Not only that you are not allowed to use smartphones, but you are not allowed to use tablets either. More than that, you are not even allowed to touch them, even if they are not yours. Participants are allowed to use laptops and PCs, as well as voice-activated devices.
Nora Reynolds is a major in biology and a minor in Biological Basis of Behavior, writing about science in general. She also likes to try new gadgets and sports about the AI new era.