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The (Auto-)Ethnographic Potential of "Disconnecting" Practices for Researching Digital Everyday Life

Hermann Bausinger already noted the "unobtrusive omnipresence of technology" back in 1984 (p. 63; translation FR). Today, over 40 years later, this constant presence is even more pronounced, as almost all digital communication media are combined in a single, handy device—the smartphone—that fits in nearly any pocket. However, they are even more frequently found in the hands of their users. According to statista, by the end of 2024, the number of mobile connections worldwide surpassed the global population. This presents a challenge for our research into digital daily life, as our own lives are, as well of course, permeated by digital technology. As scientists in Critical Studies in Culture and History, we are well aware of the problems that come with being part of the field we are researching. It's time to expand our methodological toolkit, confront our own dependencies (both positive and negative) on digital communication media, and temporarily renounce them to sharpen our focus on the digital aspects of everyday life.

In June 2025, a group of master's students, led by Antje van Elsbergen, Felix Ruppert, and Andrey Trofimov, embarked on a five-day excursion to Pilsen. The condition: no digital communication devices. Furthermore, the students were only told their destination right before they boarded the bus. This was to ensure that the students would only begin to engage with the location in the context of their chosen research topics once they were present. The exciting results of the excursion are currently on display in an exhibition in the hallway of the Institute for Critical Studies in Culture and History. 

Main Areas of Focus

  • Development and testing of "disconnecting practices" as (auto-)ethnographic methods
  • Integration of these methods into courses and excursions at the Institute for Critical Studies in Culture and History
  • Raising student awareness of human-technology relationships through personal experience
  • Testing public evaluation strategies for the results

Would you like to learn more or network with others about "disconnecting practices" as (auto-)ethnographic methods? Feel free to contact Antje van Elsbergen and/or Felix Ruppert.

  • "Digital Detox" vs. "Disconnecting Practices"

    As the empirical cultural scientist Hannah Kanz notes in her dissertation ("Offline-Sein. Eine Ethnographie von Praktiken der Entnetzung." Waxmann 2025), the term "digital detox" is not suitable as an analytical category. The evaluative semantics, which are evident in the dualism of use (= bad, toxic, distracting, etc.) and non-use (= good, detoxifying, promoting mindfulnesse etc.), do not do justice to a sober scientific examination. At the same time, the increasing commodification and commercialization of the "digital detox" lifestyle trend present us with further challenges.

    Drawing on media scholar Guido Zurstiege (2019) and social scientist Urs Stäheli (2021), Kanz instead proposes the term "disconnecting" for empirical cultural research, a term we also wish to adopt (cf. Kanz 2025: 11-15; 48-53). Not only does this avoid a reductive portrayal of the phenomenon (in addition to "digital detox," Kanz's study also examines the use of "feature phones"—mobile phones with buttons instead of touch displays, which typically lack 'smart' functions and often have no or limited internet access—and the tactile (non-)use of smartphones as examples of 'disconnecting practices'). The term "disconnecting," as a nominalized verb, also emphasizes its processual character, making it a better fit for the practice-oriented epistemology of Critical Studies in Culture and History.

    While the term "digital detox" has served as a catchy title in the course catalog due to its lifestyle character (see "Courses and Excursions"), in the future, we will use "disconnecting practices" in favor of terminological clarity and usability.

  • Activities and Announcements

    Check here regularly for new announcements and activities related to research on disconnecting practices at the Institute for Empirical Cultural Studies. You can also follow the institute's Instagram channel to stay informed about all activities.

    2025

    July 16: Opening of the student exhibition on the excursion to Pilsen in the hallway of the Institute for Critical Studies in Culture and History, Deutschhausstr. 3.
    June 9-13: Excursion with M.A. Critical Studies in Culture and History students to Pilsen, Czech Republic (led by Antje van Elsbergen, with the assistance of Felix Ruppert and Andrey Trofimov)

  • Courses and Excursions

    2025

    Summer Semester: Digital Detox (led by Antje van Elsbergen, with the assistance of Felix Ruppert and Andrey Trofimov)
    June 9-13: Excursion to Pilsen, Czech Republic.

    2022

    Summer Semester: Digital Detox (led by Antje van Elsbergen and Andrey Trofimov)
    (The excursion could not take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic)

    2020/21

    Winter Semester: Exkursion: Analog oder Digital? (led by Antje van Elsbergen and Andrey Trofimov)
    (The excursion could not take place due to the COVID-19 pandemic)