Project.esc March Issue 1

Project

April 2019

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discover digital

wellness

Under

esc

Pressure?

ng

O

id -Gr ff

How to love yourself in the age of social media

Lights Is technology killing off Livi our sleep?

...but staying online

PUT

Not so

social

Media

What are the consequences of the digital environment on your communication?

YOUR F**KING

PHONE

DOWN

From

desktop to

tabletop

Gaming doesn’t only happen online

Be Your own

Digital Doctor

Life hacks for your phone Controlling your scrolling Improve your selfie-esteem

The good, the bad

and the cyberspace In 1989, Tim Berners-Lee created something which would change the world forever.

Frustrated and unable to share his research with colleagues, he devised a mechanism allowing computers to communicate with each other. The World Wide Web was born.

He probably wasn’t expecting his invention to look anything like it does today. He may call himself an optimist, but he agrees there have been a few downsides to this digital revolution.

It’s easy to feel overwhelmed today. We are bombarded with information, but we don’t really know what’s going on. Through social media, influencers have created such high standards of living that even they cannot even keep up with it. We are attached to our phones, so addicted to online socialising we have forgotten how to actually be social.

And it’s ok. Because who can blame us? No generation before us has had to grow up at the same pace as an iPhone update.

Mairi Hughes Samantha Cunningham Hannah Weiss Oliver Cuenca Anya Walsh Matt Bassil Molly Dowrick Kate Morgan Sam Lewis Roberta Mason Tamzin Wilks Andrew Lloyd

It’s time to make sense of it all. To disregard the bad and look for what is good in this digital era. To escape media and become more social. To strike a balance between desktop and detox.

Welcome to Project.esc.

a y n A x

“Quote quote

Editor

CONTENTS Welcome to the digital revolution @project.esc.mag

Digital Doctor

6

Lights off

8

Happy store

10

Not so social media

12

Finding balance

15

Living the off-grid lifestyle

16

I share therefore I am

18

Under pressure

20

48 hour digital detox

22

Positive person

24

Gaming IRL

26

Switch off sport

28

What’s out there?

30

Offline outings

31

Digital Wellness

Your digital wellbeing agony aunt Is technology killing our sleep?

This month: our top wellness apps

How digital is affecting your communication

SwitcH on

Do we need to give up social media enitirely?

How one man managed to ditch digital Our obsession with online personas

Netizens

Male and female body positivity online

Could you give up the internet for a weekend?

This month: illustrator Emma Pryce Exchange your console controller for LARP

This month: breakdancing

SwitcH OFf

Project.esc

Our editor’s pick of what’s hot this month This month: a trip to a local museum

DIGITAL WELLNESS Webpage wellness for the wise Do you suffer from digital dependency?

Smartphone ownership is up almost 100% since the spring of 2011*, particularly among young people. It’s a lifeline connecting us to a world of information quite literally at our fingertips, but it can sometimes feel overwhelming.

Ctrl your usage and Shift your mindset.

*According to research conducted by the Pew Research Centre

DIGITAL or ct o D

Our resident doctor has the expertise to help with any digital dilemmas and nurse you back to digital health

CONTROLLING YOUR SCROLLING I’m always scrolling on my phone and it’s beginning to seriously affect my life. I’m constantly looking through social media sites or playing pointless games. It’s ruining my productivity and I feel like it’s damaging my relationships. I really need help. What can I do?

Jenny, 20, Cambridge

ROUTINE RUT

want to use Screentime. If you have an Apple device, this function allows you to see the amount of time you spend on certain apps and even limits you using them at chosen I often find myself scrolling times during the day. If your phone doesn’t aimlessly on my phone first thing provide this option, try downloading Space in the morning when I wake up. for IOS or Android, which does the same job. It doesn’t bring me joy, but it has If you have difficulty staying off your phone become a habit I can’t break. Could when you’re out with your friends, maybe ask you offer some healthier ways to them to remind you that you’re scrolling too start my day? I’m getting a bit sick much today. This might help you stay in the of my phone.

Johnny, 25, Oxford moment with them.

DEAR JENNY: Just put your fucking phone down.

The people who design social media apps have invested millions in making sure they comand your attention, so don’t feel guilty about being glued to your phone. It can Feeling overwhelmed? happen to us all. The important thing is you realise the damage it’s doing and that will help READ: WATCH: DO: you start to make changes.

Try to allocate specific times when you turn off your phone or leave it in another room. It’s unrealistic to suggest you go cold turkey and stop using social media, but we can start by redressing the balance.

Invite your friends and family to turn their Goodin’s book When you want to Baking is a great way devices off at the same time, so no-one provides helpful switch off, but can’t to spend a quiet in the group is distracted by their phone, tips for your own bear to part with the or tempting anyone else to use theirs. It’s afternoon and provides digital detox. In the screen entirely, why important we engage with the people in our almost instant (and meantime, turn to not switch on with a lives, and not just their profile pictures. edible) gratification. page 22 for a taste documentary?

If you feel like you lack the discipline to Turn to our Switch Off of Project Esc’s We love Louis. keep your phone turned off, especially when section for more ideas. experience. studying or trying to be productive, you might

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Digital Wellness

YOUR MONTHLY Prescription If the internet has left you feeling under the weather this month, try these digital life-hacks for a healthier, happier you

DEAR FRAN: It’s important to remember that it’s not just you who feels this way. Social media can bring out the worst in us, because it makes us constantly try to compete. The standards are unrealistic, and you shouldn’t try to aim for them.

There are many ways you can use social media to actually increase your selfconfidence. I suggest unfollowing confidence

What you see on social media directly affects how you feel about your day, so make sure your eyes are scanning something good for you. As a wise woman, well, Marie Kondo, once said, “If it doesn’t spark joy, then say goodbye.”

I never used to worry about my eyebrows until I followed beauty bloggers on Instagram. Now I’m really paranoid about them.

What can I do to get over this ridiculous concern?

Deb, 29, Cardiff

Don’t compare yourself

DEAR DEB: Nobody’s eyebrows are perfect. Yours are unique and beautiful. And if this doesn’t help you feel better, remember eyebrows are sisters not twins.

If you’re studying and need to Google something, make sure you stick to the specific task and don’t end up viewing what Kim Kardashian had for dinner.

Unless that’s the topic of your essay.

You can look up to other people without looking down on yourself. Use these accounts for inspiration, but don’t let them cause anxious perspiration.

Have a purpose when you browse social media

Make time for your offline friends Meet in person and you’ll find that human contact will boost your happiness. Social media is great for maintaining contact with loved ones, but it’s not the only way.

Take time to unplug Leave your phone at home occasionally.

Find local events which encourage you to engage with your community. If you need some inspiration, turn to our Switch Off section for suggestions.

Do not disturb Make use of this function on your smartphone at night. Turn off notifications and as Samuel L. Jackson once said, “Go the f**k to sleep.”

Email us: digitaldoctor@projectesc.com @project.esc.mag Project.esc

007 007

Illustration by: Tamzin Wilks

I’m quite a self-conscious person and all the images I’ve been seeing from people living perfect lives online are making me feel increasingly worse about myself. How can I enjoy social media without feeling shitty?

Fran, 23, London

EYEBROW ENVY

Follow accounts that promote an authentic and healthy lifestyle

Cunningham, Tamzin Wilks, and Roberta Mason

SELFIE-ESTEEM

damaging accounts and checking out a few that promote more realistic lifestyles - be inspired by the good stuff that’s happening online and you’ll start to feel improvements both in your mood and your confidence.

Words by Samantha

DEAR JOHNNY: This is a common problem but luckily, there’s a fairly easy solution. Consider leaving your phone in a drawer overnight and using a traditional alarm clock to wake you up instead. This might break your habit.

In the long-term, you can start developing a routine that works for you. If you’re reading statuses to start the day, maybe read a few pages of a book instead. If you insist on using your phone, try to use it in a different way - instead of scrolling your feed try out some meditation apps. (We have plenty to recommend in our Happy Store.)

LIGHTS OFF

Is technology killing our sleep?

by Matt Bassil

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Digital Wellness

W

Screens produce a blue light which fools your brain into thinking it is daytime, keeping you awake and making sleep difficult. stumble around the house with the lights off when it gets dark, whatever wonders it would do for our sleep schedule.

However, screens are far worse for your sleep than electric lightbulbs. This is because they have LEDs which use blue light, which your brain strongly associates with daylight and which has the greatest impact on the suppression of melatonin.

“We’re not going to stumble around the house with the lights off”

The most effective way to combat this therefore is to stop using your phone, laptop or tablet close to bedtime. A book, podcast or audiobook is a far better option if you’re trying to wind down in the evening but want something to keep your brain occupied.

However, if you really can’t bear to give up your late night screen time, the next best thing is to turn the brightness down and filter out blue light. Light with

shorter wavelengths has the greatest impact on your sleep, meaning blue light is the most disruptive and red or orange light is the least.

It’s possible to buy special glasses with orange lenses for the express purpose of blocking out blue light, however if you feel self-conscious about wearing these (and fair enough, some of them do look very silly) there are other options. Increasingly phones and web browsers are implementing ‘night modes’ which use warmer colours and dimmer lights to reduce the impact of screens on sleep. A word of warning, however: there haven’t been studies testing the effectiveness of these apps, whereas ‘blue blocker’ glasses have been proven to be effective.

According to the NHS, one third of people in the UK are regularly sleeping badly. This not only makes you feel rubbish, it can actually be bad for your mental and physical health in a large number of different ways.

If you’re having problems with sleep, hopefully this article will have persuaded you that it might be worth switching up your bedtime habits. Have a go at avoiding screens for at least a half-hour before you go to sleep and see if it has an impact. Give it a week or so, your body clock will need time to adjust!

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Pictures by Roberta Mason

e’ve all heard that technology is bad for our sleep, but most of us don’t really know why. If questioned we might be able to offer up a half-explanation about blue light, but in general, people only have a vague awareness of the problem.

And although we may worry that being glued to screens could be keeping us from a proper night’s rest, most of us don’t do anything about it. In fact, 90% of millennials sleep with their phones next to or in their beds.

Partly, this is down to a lack of information, or more accurately, a lack of clear information on the issue. When there’s so much scaremongering on the internet about both sleep and technology, it’s hard to pick out the experts from the nutters who think you should live in a cave so that Wi-Fi doesn’t burn out your brain. Fortunately we’re here to help.

It might seem hard to believe when your dog won’t stop barking in the middle of the night, but all living things have a built-in ability to sense the time. This is known as a biological clock. In animals, including us, this controls the body’s daily cycles of hunger, mood, alertness and tiredness-patterns that are known as circadian rhythms.

Circadian rhythms are more than just our bodies responding to changes in sunlight. Even if you locked yourself in a pitch black cupboard that was at a constant temperature, your internal clock would keep on ticking and you would still get drowsy come night. However, human biology is not as precise as clockwork and, like a clock that runs at slightly the wrong speed, your circadian rhythms need to be synchronised regularly or they will eventually go wrong.

This is where light comes into the equation. Your body uses sunlight to reset its biological clock and keep everything running regularly by suppressing a hormone called melatonin during the day.

If you’re exposed to high light levels at night it can cause melatonin to be suppressed at the wrong time, not only making you fall asleep more slowly, but creating a delay in your circadian rhythms. This delay means you’re more likely to wake up later or (since few of us have the luxury of being able to choose when we wake up) to feel groggy and unable to work effectively in the morning.

Of course, everyone is exposed to artificial light at night and that’s not likely to change. We’re not going to

Happ yStore

Digital Wellness

Self care was Apple’s Trend of the Year for apps. Here we share some of our favourites

Mindfulness Daily What does it do?

Reminds users to take time to “check-in with yourself ” to help improve self-awareness.

Words by Molly Dowrick, Roberta Mason and Tamzin Wilks

What did we think?

We loved the combination of visual and audio cues to help mindfulness and meditation. Often, closing your eyes and practising breathing techniques can get boring but Mindfulness Daily’s images of nature can ground you and keep you engaged. Optional reminders throughout the day help you remember to take pauses, even when not on the app itself, so being mindful becomes an easy habit.

Shine

SAM

What does it do?

Gives users daily positive messages to inspire productivity, reduce stress and promote “feeling more joy.”

What did we think?

We are big fans of Shine! We liked creating a personalised self-care plan tailored to whatever we wanted to improve in our daily lives.

What does it do?

SAM provides a set of tools to cope with panic attacks. Its Anxiety Tracker also helps identify your triggers to prevent panic in the future.

What did we think?

We loved this app. It offers a relaxing text which helps to adjust your focus. If you want an effective toolkit, Sam is a viable contender.

Calm

Pacifica

What does it do?

Calm creates seven-day mindfulness plans to help reduce anxieties. The app uses breathing techniques, music and video to aid sleep and relaxation.

What does it do?

Pacifica asks you how you’re feeling and allows a range of answers so you can track your mood. Guided paths give advice and tasks to address a range of feelings What did we think?

The mood tracker allows you to see how your feelings change over time, which is a great step towards tackling anxiety.

What did we think?

The meditation was simple to understand and follow. The option to meditate offline was particularly useful.

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SWITCH ON

Encourage healthy habits and feel empowered

Feeling lonely online? Maybe it’s comforting to remember you are one of 2.271 billion Facebook users.

Of these profiles, approximately 270 million are fake.

But how many of us upload the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?

Refresh your Outlook and update your understanding. *According to a study published by Brandwatch

Switch On

NOT SO SOCIAL MEDIA What are the consequences of going online at a young age?

by Mairi Hughes 012

The Proteus Effect In Greek mythology, Proteus was a sea god with the ability to change shape. The Proteus Effect is a phenomenon where a person’s behaviour is changed after spending time ‘wearing’ an online avatar.

A study at Stanford University’s Virtual Human Interaction Lab found that people taking part in an immersive virtual reality game who were playing the role of superheroes were more inclined to be helpful after having played in this role.

However, it has been suggested in other studies that when online avatars are embraced too seriously by users, this may lead to Dissociative Identity Disorder.

Too much time spent in the digital environment can cause us to struggle to disconnect from virtual reality and return to the real world.

L

ast week, a waitress friend had a terrifying story to tell me.

Earlier, at work, she had been waiting on a couple with a small baby who was watching YouTube on a tablet. As she jotted down their order she noticed the baby, not yet able to speak, instinctively click the “Skip Ad” button in the corner of the screen as a video loaded. “It was mind-blowing,” she said. I laughed it off.

The next generation are growing up heavily immersed in a digital environment, glued to tablets practically from birth. Generation Z, born at the end of the millennium, were seven years old when Steve Jobs announced the launch of the iPhone at the Macworld convention in 2007.

The Infographics Show said,“Generation Z processes information faster than any other generation, but their attention span is likely to be lower.” Growing up neck-deep in a sea of digital apps, websites and communication channels, this generation is increasingly adapting itself to cope in the digital world. However, the deeper they swim into the digital sea, the further out of touch they become with the real world.

The journal Computers in Human Behaviour conducted a study into the impact of screen-based media on real life communication skills. Pre-teens were placed in an environment without access to screen-based media for five days. After this time, these children were found to be better able to communicate, having an increased ability to recognise nonverbal emotional cues, than children who had been immersed in screens. It is not surprising that the next generation, growing up with their gaze directed towards screens and away from the world around them, are losing their emotional intelligence and their ability to navigate their world.

Nonverbal Communication in Human Interaction investigates the role of nonverbal cues in our exchanges and found that expressing emotion, conveying interpersonal attitudes and displaying personality carry more weight than what we actually say. Digital conversation often excludes these vital aspects of communication as they cannot be constructed by a computer.

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Photo by Roberta Mason Illustration by Tamzin Wilks

Main: Adults check their phone every 12 minutes on average, according to an OFCOM report last year Right: Long-term studies are yet to be conducted on the effects of growing up with mobile phones

Switch On Digital exchanges can never really be as fruitful as those conducted face-to-face.

While online group chats and Snapchat streaks may allow you to stay in touch with your friends like never before, being enveloped in this evidently begins to diminish our ability to detect real emotion and personality. We are constantly in touch with one another but, it seems, failing to communicate. It is an inconvenient truth, given our increasing reliance on it, that becoming so accustomed to digital communication causes us to become unaccustomed to real-life interactions.

Between the impossible task of getting hold of your friend who is only contactable via Facebook Messenger, the constant chatter in the family WhatsApp chat and the Messenger group for work shifts, avoiding digital communication today is almost impossible. So we’re not making the unrealistic suggestion that you switch off entirely.

“I’m not antitechnology.

I’m pro-conversation” As psychologist Sherry Turkle puts it, “I’m not anti-technology, I’m pro-conversation.”

Turkle also directs us towards a possible solution to the problem.

We needn’t cut out technology, but we should make more of an effort to ensure that we are not so heavily immersed in the digital environment that it begins to diminish our communication abilities. Recognition and awareness of the negative effects of digital conversations allows us to minimise the adverse effect they have on us.

Make a conscious effort to fully dedicate yourself to conversations going on around you, keep your phone firmly in your back pocket, and allocate set times to check your phone which doesn’t interfere with this. These tips should help you maintain a healthy balance.

So, don’t ditch your phone and miss that shift-change at work or be unaware of plans made via WhatsApp for a family dinner, but be conscious of the impact of being engrossed in a digital environment and make an effort to counteract this with a healthy dose of actual conversation.

Let’s take time to escape the digital world.

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Want to to find find out Want out more? more?

Sherry Turkle’s latest book Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age discusses the way in which an overreliance on digital forms of communication has eroded our ability to talk face to face. It makes “the case for conversation,” explaining why speaking in person can do more for our empathy and our relationships than texting or communicating via social media.

Switch On

Finding Balance

Finding a balance through social media helps us keep in touch without harming our health

Social media is the pastime you love to hate, but what are the realities behind excessive social media use, and do we really need to go cold turkey? By Tamzin Wilks

“What is the impact of social media on our mental health?”

Feelings of inadequacy are overwhelming when looking at other people’s lives. Holiday photos, weddings, birthdays and parties. The issue with social media is that people do not post the negative stuff.

There is a focus on posting positive pictures in order to get more likes and this is something we all know, but it doesn’t stop the envy creeping in.

Most will have noticed that social media often throws us into the depths of comparison - and with comparison comes jealousy.

It is difficult to disregard those feelings of comparison. It is an almost subconscious impulse to see who looks better, has more money and goes on more holidays. Visual platforms like Instagram are packed with boastful posts, which we’re all guilty of using. No

one posts about the bad days and so online personas are unrealistic.

Social media can make us anxious, depressed, even suicidal and yet it is supposed to be fun.

“How many people can say that social media makes them feel good?”

Something has gone seriously wrong with the way in which we interact with social media. Some content can be damaging and is openly available for anyone to see. Instagram content that sensationalises self-harm, suicide and anorexia is easy to find through hashtags.

Health secretary, Matt Hancock, has reached out to social media giants asking them to remove harmful content in the wake of Molly Russell’s shocking suicide. Instagram boss, Adam Mosseri has since responded with a pledge to protect its more vulnerable users.

We sometimes hate it but we cannot live without social media and we do not have to. What can be toxic and damaging can also be used in healthy, positive ways.

Social media can make us feel terrible about ourselves, but it depends how we navigate it. If you follow positive people on Instagram and use Facebook to connect with friends, then using social media can be a positive experience, but it’s easy to fall into the comparison trap.

Morten Tromholt of Copenhagen University found that quitting Facebook leads to higher levels of wellbeing.

Our relationship with online platforms needs to change. Follow positive accounts, unfollow the people who drive you crazy and put your f**king phone down. Live in the now.

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Photo by Roberta Mason

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real fear among millennials is being left behind. We worry that our lives are not moving at the pace they should, and Facebook and Instagram only add to this. You open your app and scroll through, your timeline informs you a school friend has got engaged, someone else has announced a new job, a baby, a first house.

Meanwhile you’re sat in your parents house (where you still live) and your mind is telling you that you are a failure because you have not done any of those things yet.

FOMO, the fear of missing out, is also what pushes us into the arms of social media. We live in that difficult place between not wanting to miss out on what is happening, and comparing our lives to online personas. The combination of the two can make a sometimes deadly cocktail of low self-esteem and excessive screen time.

Switch On

Living Off-grid, Staying Online Steven has lived offgrid for over ten years, but that doesn’t stop him scrolling from time to time

T

he Mourne Mountains in County Down, Northern Ireland, have long been recognised as picturesque. The locale has been used more than once in the filming of a little show called Game of Thrones.

For the last 14 years a debate has raged on over whether the range should become Northern Ireland’s first national park. Those

in favour cite the economic benefits; local landowners, unsurprisingly, think differently.

To the west of the mountains is Lackan Cottage Farm, owned by off-grid guru Steven Golemboski-Byrne and his family. Their six acres contains two cottages, a converted horsebox and a vegetable patch.

Steve and his family live in one cottage.

“We run a lot of courses,” Steve says, “on practical sustainability, off-grid living and crafts.” Those who purchase these courses are put up in either the horsebox or Birch Cottage during their stay, though those looking for a purely relaxing holiday can still rent out either. This business necessitates an online presence that means the family are off-grid only in terms of electricity.

This does not mean Steven or his wife have much time to scroll through Facebook.

Words by Sam Lewis, photos by Steven Golemboski-Byrne

Steven’s Inspirations Rima Staines

Simon Dale

Musician, writer, clock-maker, pupetteer, blogger, theatre director, publisher and offgrid-liver Rima labels herself an artist for simplicity’s sake. She and her family live in Dartmoor. They were a big influence for Steven’s Lackan Cottage Farm project. Find out more by scanning the code below or at: www.intothehermitage.blogspot.com

Steven also cites Simon and Jasmine Dale’s Grand Designs-featured Hobbit House as inspiration. For a decade, the Dales lived in a house very reminiscent of that owned

by JRR Tolkien’s Bilbo. Their story has been covered by numerous news outlets, or can be read in Simon’s own words by scanning the code below or at: www.simondale.net

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Below: Simon and Jasmine Dale and their children outside their famous Hobbit House

Main: Steven renovated his ecofriendly cottage in Northern Ireland seven years ago.

Above: Steven Golemboski-Byrne taking a rare moment’s rest.

On top of collecting firewood, looking after the animals, catering to guests and teaching courses, they also make and sell products like willow baskets and soaps from materials grown on their farm.

“We grow a fair percentage of our food too,” Steve says, “mainly fruit and veg, but we keep hens for eggs and rear some chickens for meat each year. We also make a lot of homebrew, which saves a small fortune.” For energy they have second-hand solar panels and a wind turbine, as well as woodburners.

The family get wood from fallen trees on others’ land when they can, and also replant on their own land.

It was partly this awareness of the environment that led to Steve’s decision, ten years ago, to change his lifestyle. Steve says, “I was living a mainstream life, with a job, rent, credit cards, and I had come to realise that, like many people, I was simply working and not living. I never seemed to be any better off no matter how hard I worked or how much I earned.

“I came across a blog by artist Rima Staines about her travels in a converted horse truck. From there I found Simon and Jasmine Dale’s Hobbit House. I realised that another way of life was not only possible, but there were loads of people doing it.”

Steve did not move into Lackan Cottage Farm immediately. It was a longer journey that involved sleeping on friend’s attic floors for extended periods, rentals, and finally

converting their horsebox and living in it on a friend’s farm. He also met wife Claire.

“We spent a year in the truck, looking at properties all over Ireland and Wales, before finding Lackan,” explains Steve. “When we arrived it consisted of an uninhabitable

“Steven praises the internet as a valuable resource for anyone interested in living the off-grid life”

three-room stone cottage with some terrible 1950’s decor, and the second two-room cottage.” Since then, the couple have restored both cottages and are in their seventh year at the farm.

Perhaps surprisingly for somebody who lives off-grid, a decade after giving up a career in tech, Steve is not all that hard on social media. “I’m conscious that I still spend more time than I should online,” Steve begins, but even for a business like this, the internet is still a vital tool. “We use social media a lot to reach people for courses,” he explains, “and to raise awareness of our accommodation.”

“I think that my lifestyle is healthier by its nature,” Steve continues. “I have a lot of regular physical work, chopping wood,

handling animals, maintaining the garden, and it is that rather than using less technology that is healthy.” He praises the internet as a valuable resource for information for anyone interested in living the off-grid life.

When asked what the future holds for the family, Steve seems relieved that the hardest work is behind them. “At this point all the big jobs are done, and we’re focusing increasingly on detail,” he says. “Now it’s more about finding little ways to make life easier and more comfortable.

“Each year the gardens become more established, we plant more trees, and our infrastructure is more complete. I really hope our daughter will take the place on when she is older and it’s fully established.”

The family’s courses or self-catered accommodation can be found by scanning the code below or at: lackanfarm.co.uk

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Switch On

I share therefore I am Our obsession with our online personas: have you memorised your number of Instagram followers? By Mairi Hughes

S

omething exciting is happening: you’re at that gig you’ve been looking forward to for months, having a fancy dinner with your other half to celebrate an anniversary, you’ve just received a phone call informing you about a new job, maybe you’re wasted in a club. What’s your instinct? Snapchat?

Instagram? Facebook?

Once upon a time, being in these situations meant you could simply enjoy the experience, without your adoring followers there to watch and react with an emoji of their choice.

Where did it all begin?

Roughly 22 years ago, a 19-year-old student in Pennsylvania set up a webcam in her bedroom and began broadcasting online 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In 1996, this meant static blackand-white images which updated themselves roughly every 15 seconds. In the late 90s, ‘Jennicam’ was enough to attract seven million views every day.

Jennifer Ringley was the first person to publicise the mundane aspects of her everyday life online in the manner which is now the norm. ‘Jennicam’ was a phenomenon which undoubtedly helped birth our obsession with online personas.

Illustration by Tamzin Wilks

The science behind the online persona In 1995, sociologist John Thompson stated that the digital communication environment had transformed our visibility as citizens and the boundaries between public and private were beginning to blur. This newly-found ability to have an online presence, such a s ‘ J e n n i c a m ’ , meant that individuals suddenly found themselves on a stage with a limitless audience whose eyes were eagerly directed towards every mundane move. It created a new pressure to make every aspect of an online persona seem perfect in order to impress your audience.

Sherry Turkle, an expert in people a n d

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technology, labels the digital environment a “virtual laboratory” within which we are able to experiment with versions of ourselves which may not be accurate to real life.The digital world provides us with the opportunity to cut out our flaws and create a polished version of our identities, featuring only our very best bits.

However, as Turkle points out, these carefully constructed online personas are not authentic in the same way as our real-life personas. Sherry says, “It’s when we stumble, or hesitate, or lose our words, that we reveal ourselves to each other.”

Our real-life imperfections are vital to who we are and what

“The soul is not something which can be coded” allows us to reveal ourselves to one another so that we may truly connect. Sherry adds, “Technology is making a bid to redefine human connection.”

The soul is not something which can be coded. Our human vulnerabilities should not be something we aim to edit out, but something we embrace.

Time for a reality check Technology has many perks. The ability to construct an online persona for a global audience allows us to show friends and relatives around the world what we are doing each day.

But ultimately these personas are not real. We must not allow them to overtake our reality.

NETIZENS Connect with your community

Are you suffocated by your social media accounts?

Our phones allow us to communicate instantly with a flock of followers but increasingly, our communication and concentration skills are failing us. 71% of us leave our phones on all night with 24/7 access to our online profiles*.

Enter the conversation and Esc your screens. *According to 2015’s Trends in Consumer Mobility Report

Netizens

UNDER Like, follow, comment: the need for online validation

Photos by Roberta Mason

“

I often find myself scrolling through social media; whether that be Instagram, Facebook or Twitter. I think social media can be a good thing but it’s all down to how you use it. I have a particularly difficult relationship with Instagram, and I’ve recently unfollowed all the people who make me feel terrible about myself, my life, and the way I look.

I have always struggled with how I look, as a result of female beauty standards I suppose, but recently I’ve hit an age where I realise this is ridiculous. I’m 23 and I’m good enough. Plus Instagram is supposed to be fun.

So all the influencers, detox tea -sellers and #ootd posting women with fantastic makeup have been cleared from my feed.

There’s nothing wrong with wearing makeup and working out - I have no problem with these motivated women personally. But what they post impacts my life more than it should, so I have to click on unfollow.

I think there is pressure from accounts like those - pressure to look like them, dress like them, idolise them. The post that threw me over the edge was an Instagram story. It was a video of a woman with the bone structure of a Greek goddess asking me if I found it difficult to lose weight. It then proceeded to show before and after pictures of women, who looked fine in the before pics, and tried to sell me ‘skinny tea.’

I followed that account for the outfits and makeup the woman was wearing, not for her weight loss tips and products.

Now I only follow accounts that really make me feel good. Frankly, life is too short to be told I’m not good enough by

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Tamzin Wilks, 23 a six-foot long-legged beauty lying on a beach. Every woman is valid and women shouldn’t undermine other women. I now follow accounts which show me women who look like me, and women who don’t, but all of them are real. Real women living real lives, who post pictures with no makeup and with great makeup. Pages like this encourage women to support other women - and that’s fantastic.

I think that women of all shapes and sizes should be represented online so we don’t see one body type dominating the public conscience. The honesty of these accounts is so refreshing in a sea of tanned, airbrushed posts.

Just knowing that others question themselves reminds me I’m not alone. Not only that, it’s motivational. Instagram is the app that made me feel so down about myself, and now it makes me feel amazing.

It’s all in the way we use it.

“All the influencers, detox tea-sellers and #ootd posting women with fantastic makeup have been cleared from my feed”

PRESSURE Tom Southward-Bruce, 23

“There’s not many men of different shapes and sizes represented on social media”

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I use Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

For me, social media is a relatively positive thing, but I think there are a lot of downfalls that come with too much time spent on it.

I think it’s a nice way to keep in touch, especially at this time in my life, when graduation sees a lot of people going off in different directions.

A few years ago, in my first year of university, I was in a negative headspace.

This was before I unfollowed everyone who I felt was harmful to my wellbeing, so you’ve caught me post-cull, if you will.

I’ve also made some great friends through social media, especially Twitter so in my head that’s a good experience.

On Instagram there’s definitely pressure from those gym-buff accounts because it’s so easy to compare yourself to them, especially because of their use of filters and good angles. I think it’s very easy to make a comparison to your own life if you see exotic holidays or really evidently filtered photos. It can have such a huge and longlasting impact on self-esteem.

Men are expected to conform to a masculine stereotype and this used to really affect me, but lately I’ve managed

to stay away from it. I have my own style and I’m proud of it, but there are times where my self esteem drops. I used to think that Instagram was a platform for vanity, but now I regulate my use and go on it maybe once a day. It’s a much more enjoyable experience.

There’s not many men of different shapes and sizes represented on social media and this definitely has an impact. I definitely don’t think there’s enough male body positivity accounts out there. Maybe the lack of accounts is actually a lack of awareness in the male community, at least I think so.

On Instagram you can make your account private so I just filter out the negativity and only follow the people I know quite well. I’m very selective with who I follow. It’s only my friends or the occasional celebrity.

I limit the amount of time that I spend on social media. I have to say to myself, “After a certain point today I’m not going to go on this platform because it’s going to lower my confidence.” And I think that’s a really important attitude to have.

“I used to think that Instagram was a platform for vanity”

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Netizens

48 hour

Could you spend a weekend without the internet?

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was generally happier in the 90s, before most people even had a dialup modem, but the cause may have been the innocent joie de vivre of childhood. In 2019, however, renouncing the internet means no Netflix, no Googling the answers to the Sunday crossword, and no uploading of photographs to feed the pretence that I am living my best life on Instagram.

Will I be lonely? Will I become more focused? Will I become bored without instant gratification?

The rules of the experiment are that I cannot use my smartphone or the internet for 48 hours from 7pm on Friday January 25.

Friday 25 January

I decide to return to the family home for the weekend as soon as I realise the enormity of my situation. My boyfriend leaves for a wedding tomorrow and I am sans Netflix.

I arrive at 6pm and find it odd that my phone does not automatically connect to our wifi. My mother tells me we have a new password and she will not be providing me with it. This is almost certainly for the best, but I am told I look like a caged tiger and in truth, I feel like one.

I text my boyfriend: “What are you doing tonight? Xxx” He replies: “Aren’t you coming to the opera? xxx” He is performing as Don José in Carmen this evening and I have promised to watch in awe. I speak basic French, but certainly not enough to get me through Bizet’s masterpiece, so I’m not expecting to sit forward in my seat and peer down at my dashing soldier in all his tragic glory.

Friday is easy, but then I only have to endure five hours. I have a wonderful evening and feel a pang of regret only when it is time for bed.

I would usually watch an episode on Netflix or listen to a podcast until I fall asleep, laptop still whirring in the background, and I think I can only fall asleep to the sound of chattering voices. Instead, I hit ‘shut down’ and choose a book, but I do not think I will sleep well.

Photos by Roberta Mason

Saturday 26 January I let myself wake up without an alarm, suspecting I can sleep the day away. In reality, I wake at 7.30am and it is still dark, but for the first time in months I have slept through the night. I am refreshed enough to get up, but after I have made a cup of tea and put the dog out for a morning bark, there is precious little to do.

I am unable to confirm the time Aldi opens, so I arrive at 8.45, pleasantly surprised to find the lights on and the aisles empty. In the last hour I have planned my meals, I have made a list, and as Eat Well for Less has taught me, this has chopped a third off my food bill.

I planned to take the dog out for a walk, but she takes one look at the rain bouncing off the roof of the car and gives me a look that could curdle milk. I let her go back to bed.

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I hoped I would spend the weekend away from the computer, but it rains all day and by the afternoon, I have caved completely.

I watch an entire season of The Simpsons – and not even one of the good ones. On the plus side, I finally made the time to bleach my hair.

After only 24 hours of the detox, I am lonely. I call on a former schoolfriend only for the door to be answered by his mother who informs me he is in Berlin – an awkward conversation I would have been spared had I been able to check Facebook. The venture is starting to get on my nerves.

I let the fourth disc of The Simpsons play all night. I wake four times in total and attempt to watch the same episode on every occasion. It is not a good night’s sleep.

digital detox

by Roberta Mason

Sunday 27 January I have broken the last disc in the season 10 box set, but while it is raining in my heart, the sun is out, and I have to smile. I make crumpets for breakfast and apply talon-like yellow false nails to encourage my bitten stumps to grow.

I haven’t heard from my boyfriend and I wish I could check Facebook for wedding photos and possibly a message.

Unable to resist the urge if I stay at home, I take the dog for a walk in the local park – just at the moment, out of nowhere, it begins to sleet. Convinced the weather will improve, we press on and spend a diverting hour exploring new places, taking photographs (me) and sniffing trees (her).

There is a finite length of time she will let me procrastinate like this before she starts longing for her basket and a biscuit, so we head home with three hours to spare. I have lasted 45 hours, so why do the last 180 minutes feel like 180 years?

I eat dinner, my dad comes home from a trip, a bottle of wine is opened, and slowly, the weekend begins to feel normal again. I usually get Sunday-night blues, but this evening is quite jolly. So jolly that 7pm passes without my even noticing it.

But as soon as I am allowed access to it, I am posting a Facebook status.

Post-detox...

I had two Facebook messages, nine notifications, and one email. This quite excited me until I logged on and discovered two were memories from this day, two were birthday notifications for people I barely know, and two were regarding boosting hits to my professional page.

I would absolutely recommend going off the grid every once in a while.

My stress levels decreased, I spent a lot less time thinking about work, even as I was writing this article, and I certainly felt more proactive having planned a week’s worth of meals. I also got a decent night’s sleep when I was separated from all forms of electronic distraction.

I think if I were to do it again, I might choose a summer month; I spent more time outside than I would usually – even in January – and it is far easier to distract yourself during daylight hours.

However, I did miss two birthdays, wedding photos, and the fact that my closest friend was travelling. I ate more often too, likely because I kept embarking on exploratory expeditions to the fridge. I also nearly drove myself to insanity attempting to complete the crossword unaided.

It seems I missed the internet far more than it missed me.

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Netizens

Gaming IRL Live action role-players discuss the many benefits of using digital platforms to create an offline social life

By Kate Morgan

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he digital world is often used to create real-world communities and live events for gamers, activists, fitness fanatics and anyone with a common interest.

Richard Bryant, a 34 year-old insurance executive, and Amelia Campbell, a 30-year-old claims handler, explain how online platforms can actually encourage you to switch off and expand your social horizons.

Amelia and Richard sparked their romance on Tinder and found an unlikely common interest.

Amelia was not a fan of Dungeons and Dragons (D&D) or live action role-play (LARP) when they met online. They bonded over the fact that she was aware of the games and had family members who were once keen LARPers.

“She was the first woman I met who knew what LARP was,” Richard recalls, an incredulous look on his face.

These days, they have a regular D&D session every Sunday with four or five friends in their late 20s. They eat pizza, drink wine and laugh.

Amelia speaks excitedly about the upcoming games night.

“The big difference between LARP and D&D is that the first is done in a field, the other at a table,” she explains.Yet both are great ways to put your phone down and get offline.

Unlike Amelia, Richard has been into these games since he was 14.

He says, “I didn’t have a massive social circle in school. I gravitated towards the weirdos. I loved fantasy and The Lord of the Rings.”

Role playing games and LARP communities have grown significantly in the past few years, with the success of big-budget television shows such as Game of Thrones.

But the digital world has changed things too, especially with regards to accessibility.

“Only today I commented on the Twitter page of the current lead rules designer for D&D,” says Richard. Growing up in the 1990s, there was no way for someone like Richard to communicate with creators or other players, but now there are a multitude of social platforms used to connect with people.

“I wrote to this D&D designer on Twitter and he helped me with

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Role-playing brings friends together and takes them on adventures, perhaps even facing down a terrifying dragon! one of the rules. He lives in LA. I could never have done that before,” he says.

As well as the evolution of games themselves, the way gamers consume games has changed. They are played live on YouTube, Twitch and podcasts. Players use apps and websites displaying character information to aide their gaming techniques.

Amelia says, “I started watching that YouTube thing called Critical Role. Their characters are so real and believable you fall in love with

Technology has become a conduit for the role-playing community the stories.”

Critical Role is an American web series in which a group of professional voice actors play D&D. The series has over 17 million views.

Technology has become a conduit for the role-playing community, proving extremely useful for engaging with other players, arranging meet-ups and becoming part of a bigger team.

When it comes to LARP, Amelia describes it as “the best holiday ever”, an escape from the daily stress of work and bills.

Richard strokes his beard and explains that all sorts of people go to LARP events. His group alone includes a prison warden, a pub cook, housewives, a recruitment consultant and a game designer.

He says, “There’s an entire group of people who dress as orcs, paint themselves green and go around murdering people (with foam weapons). In real life every single one of them has a normal job.”

So why role-play? Why not utilise any one of the thousands of immersive, high-budget video games such as World of Warcraft instead, with no imagination required?

Richard chuckles and responds: “You’re playing in a room with five of your best friends and instead of hitting a button to determine which skill you want to use, you roll a dice. It’s cheaper than console gaming and it’s the most social thing you can do.”

Project.esc presents this month’s...

Positive Person Emma Pryce

Emma Pryce, 29, is an illustrator and a self-proclaimed positive-thinker from Hereford. Her instagram @emandtheearthart marries fun and empowering illustrations with messages of self-care.

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mma became interested in art two years ago. She kept a journal, illustrating her thoughts while she was travelling. Before long she was posting her work on Instagram and creating feel-good merchandise, encouraging self-care. She has an Etsy shop - search emandtheearth.

1) How has your art changed over the years?

I spent a long time trying to develop my personal style and getting frustrated by my ability. However, when I went back to uni to complete my BA, one of my tutors gave me the advice to just accept what naturally happens when I put pen to paper and stop focusing on achieving perfection. Accepting this made it a lot easier to create raw images, and embracing my style made it more enjoyable to be creative.

2) Which is your favourite illustration?

I’m not sure that I have a favourite, but I love the sentiment in my illustration for ‘Isn’t it Wonderful that I’m the Only Me and I’m the Only Me That There’ll Ever Be’. I like to remind myself of this when I’m having a bad day.

3) How do you monetise your craft?

5) Where does the name Em & the Earth come from?

My Etsy shop is my main source of income for my illustration. Here I sell prints, pins and tote bags with my work on so people can own their own ‘gentle reminders’ to look at each day.

I also love doing fairs. I recently attended the CMYK Hay fair in Hay-On-Wye where I was able to network with other creatives and talk face-to-face with people about my work and mental health issues.

I originally used it as my travel journal name a few years back.

However, I thought it really suited the work that I create. We are all connected, every decision we make can impact someone in the world we may never meet – whether that be the food we buy from the supermarket or the clothes we buy on the high street. My approach to this is that a lot of us have the same thoughts, feelings and anxieties that we may feel isolate us from others. By putting them into a visual medium, I feel it helps add to the conversation and allows people to know that they are not alone. We are all in it together.

4) Why is art such a cathartic process for you?

6) How do you find a balance with social media? You need it for your work so how do you use it healthily?

I think the process of getting thoughts out of your head and onto something tangible is a cathartic tool that can be achieved in many different ways – drawing, writing, journaling, making music.

Sometimes our heads gets so jumbled with thoughts, projecting them outwards can help organise them. Looking at a visual representation can bring clarity and understanding. It releases a tension – using negative energy to produce something positive.

I do use social media more than I would like to and it’s sometimes hard to not get pulled into endless scrolling when you’ve just gone online to do a post. Sometimes I schedule my posts for the week so that I don’t have to go onto any platforms to keep my page updated or, instead of aimlessly looking at anything on my homepage, actively search for hashtags to inspire. I especially like looking at #femaleillustrators and seeing what work my peers are creating.

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Netizens

Check out Emma’s Instagram @emandtheearthart

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SWITCH OFF Ditch your digital device

When did you last leave your phone at home? 79% of 18-44 year-olds are within reach of their smartphone 22 hours a day.* Take time to unplug. Power off and select your analogue adventure.

*According to a recent IDC report

ff O h c t i w S port S

B reakdance

In every edition of Project Esc, we spotlight a different hobby to help peel you away from your screen. Here we introduce breakdance, a high-energy mix of art and athleticism, practised by a community of dancers across the world. By Hannah Weiss

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s night draws in, the University of Exeter falls silent.

Students trudge home through the city streets and the Forum building empties. The Forum houses a chilly library and rows of identical seminar rooms. But it’s the smooth marble floor and open space that draw the dancers here.

Somebody plugs in a speaker as the b-boys and b-girls shrug off their coats and stretch. The students form a loose circle – or cypher – and begin spurring each other on to take turns freestyling in the centre.

They hail from cities as near and far as Singapore and South London, guided by members of Just4Funk, Devon’s own breakdance crew. These b-boys have trained here since the University of Exeter Breakdance Society was founded in 2002.

Their youngest member is 12 years old, racing to spin on his back in the centre of the floor the moment the beat kicks in. This group might seem mismatched, but they exemplify the sense of community that sets breakdance apart.

“I think anyone can do it,” says Steven ‘SugarRush’ Waters, one of Just4Funk’s founding members.“If something in you ignites through the training element, performing, or from the technical side. Breaking is excellent for confidence, socialising and great for improving fitness as well.”

Jamie Hendy has served as social secretary for the University of Exeter Breakdance Society for two years. He believes it’s the open attitude of Exeter’s breaking community that makes the culture so accessible. “The b-boys and b-girls I met were incredible people,” he says. “They taught me and gave me the confidence to improve.”

The term ‘breaking’ references the breakbeats that were first looped together by DJ Kool Herc and his contemporaries at Bronx parties in the 70s.

Inspired by the dance moves of James Brown and the acrobatics of Bruce Lee, a generation of Puerto-Rican and African-American teenagers invented, honed and codified a new style of dance.

Breaking differentiates itself from other dance styles not only through form – combining technical footwork with high-flying stunts – but in function. The Zulu Kings were one of the first b-boy crews, founded by hip-hop legend Afrika Bambaataa. They took the positive elements of gang culture – loyalty and collective responsibility – and translated their moves from parties to the streets, using breaking battles as an alternative to violence.

Linh Moran has trained at the University of Exeter for three years.

She agrees on the duality of breaking as both a creative and athletic

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activity. “To break, you not only have to be incredibly strong and coordinated, but you also need a sense of musicality and creativity,” she says.

The joint power and innovation required for breaking was honed from its foundations. The original legacy of the Zulu Kings was carried forward with the Rock Steady crew and NYC Breakers, who invented some of breaking’s most technically challenging moves including the headspin, windmill and handglide.

B-boys in south-west England united to form the Second to None crew, who went on the beat Rock Steady and win the UK B-boy Championships in 1996 and 1997.

This was the battle that inspired SugarRush to begin breaking. First introduced to the culture through his youth work with The Message Trust in Manchester, it wasn’t until he picked up a DVD of the UK B-boy Championships that he was hooked.

Britain’s biggest breaking battle takes place annually in London. SugarRush first found his way there in 2003. Soon after, he joined training sessions held by the University of Exeter’s newly formed Breakdance Society and established the Just4Funk crew.

“We started training two or three times a week and taking it seriously,” he says.

“We went to jams and competitions and it all escalated from there.”

SugarRush now works with Break Mission and Floor Wars as a host. He believes the recent addition of breaking to the Youth Olympics will continue to grow the scene. “It’s really interesting at the moment,” he says. “It’s very competitiondriven and lots of kids are taking it seriously. I think it’s great that it’s going into the Olympics. The more exposure it gets, the better.”

Breaking has traditionally been dominated by men. But since b-girl Baby Love, a.k.a. Daisy Castro Cutajar, became the sole female member of the Rock Steady crew, women have begun to carve out their niche.

As Linh of Exeter Uni Breakers says, “Breaking builds your confidence in a way that is very different from other sports – it takes a lot of guts to go into the middle of a cypher and dance in front of a crowd. But it’s an incredible experience.”

SugarRush believes the key element of the breaking community is being open to all. He says, “People see you throwing down and they’re like, ‘I can do that.’ That’s the cool thing about it, just realising it’s accessible. I think it’s a great thing for people to get involved in.”

Switch Off

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Photos by Linh Moran

“It takes a lot of guts to go into the middle of a cypher and dance in front of a crowd...”

Switch Off

What's out there?

It can be difficult to tear yourself away from screens, so why not do something else with your free time? Sitting down with a cup of tea and a novel, or going to the cinema are great ways to include digital detox in your routine. Your brain will thank you!

Get reading When All Is Said by Anne Griffin Interesting and innovative, When All Is Said follows an 84-year-old man through five drinks. When Maurice Hannigan finds himself sitting alone at the Rainford House Hotel, he decides to pay homage to the people he loves through five emotional toasts: a depressed sister-in-law, a daughter, a distant son, an older brother, a longlost wife. Anne Griffin writes honestly about life’s turmoils, regrets, hopes and triumphs. This book will make you wonder who you would toast.

Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams Queenie Jenkins is a 25-year-old Jamaican-British woman living in London. She works at a newspaper and hopes to become successful, but struggles to fit in. She is dealing with a messy breakup and makes some poor decisions. Candice Carty-Williams depicts the struggles our generation face when confronted with adulthood.

Queenie asks herself the questions we are all asking: Am I happy? What am I doing with my life? This book is ideal for anyone feeling lonely in their 20s.

Get watching Everybody Knows - In cinemas on March 8

We love...

FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened 030

Netflix’s documentary, FYRE: The Greatest Party That Never Happened, premiered January 18. It tells the somewhat comical, downright stressful true story of Fyre Festival.

Entrepreneur turned crook, Billy McFarland, along with the rapper Ja Rule, attempted to host an enormous luxury music festival on a remote island in the Bahamas. The party, scheduled for April 2017, was widely advertised by popular influencers on Instagram, such as Bella Hadid and Kendall Jenner. The documentary follows the story of Fyre’s organisers desperately trying to piece together a festival that is logistically impossible to host, a victim of its own success, seeped in dodgy investments. It shows just how far removed social media can be from reality, and the serious consequences this can have for consumers.

Words by Anya Walsh

This fast-paced psychological thriller may keep you awake at night. Written and directed by Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi, the film opened the 2018 Cannes Film Festival and is acclaimed by critics. Laura (Penelope Cruz) returns to her hometown in rural Spain with her daughters to attend a wedding. The festivities of the family reunion are shattered when one of Laura’s daughters is abducted.

With the help of her old flame Paco (Javier Bardem), Laura desperately tries to find her daughter and in the process, she uncovers ugly truths and family secrets.

Switch Off

Switch Off... to the museum

This month, Oliver Cuenca checks out his local museum Exploring the Rennaissance at the Victoria and Albert Museum

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or those of us who are regular museum-goers, the joys of those institutions are familiar and comforting. Yet for others, museums are only the vague memory of a lifetime ago, of hurried and unsatisfactory school trips, of dusty exhibits and long rides in cramped minibuses.

Museums are great ways of switching off. They’re often free to enter, you can take friends with you and, most importantly during these rainy winter months, they’re indoors. Take a stroll through one and you can discover all kinds of fascinating things. It’s like Pinterest was made of bricks instead of pixels.

Most museums regularly have a range of special events and exhibitions, so even if you think you’ve seen everything there is to see, it’s worth checking what’s on. You can usually visit their website, or go there in person and check out the posters.

My local, the National Museum Cardiff, had several exhibitions running when I swung by there, including a special showing of drawings by Leonardo da Vinci, but exhibitions don’t have to be limited to the world-famous and exotic. They can celebrate local communities and tell you the history of your hometown.

You could indulge your favourite interests, or find a new one.

Before you know it, the whole day can pass by, so the best trips out can be at the weekend. But even if it isn’t, if you’re passing by, perhaps on your lunch break or on your way home from work, it can be a rewarding way to pass an hour that might otherwise feel just like any other day of the week.

I had a lot of fun at my museum. I learned new things, got out of the house, got to hang out with friends and saw things I'd normally have to travel abroad to see. So why not explore what the museums, galleries and archives in your area have in store.You may be surprised what you find!

Find one near you! These are free to enter.

1. The Victoria and Albert Museum, London

The V&A doesn’t draw the same crowds as its cousins across the road (Science and Natural History) but its contents are just as exciting. The V&A contains an unrivalled range of objects from across the world which open a window into other cultures and times. See samurai armour, illuminated manuscripts and the 30foot tall replica of Trajan’s Column.

2. City Art Centre, Edinburgh Ostensibly a “nationally recognised collection of Scottish art,” the City Art Centre brings together exhibits from all levels of society.

It paints a fascinating cultural picture of Scotland’s heritage.

Best of all, it’s just across the road from Edinburgh Waverley railway station, which means it’s only a train ride away.

3. St Fagans National History Museum, Cardiff St Fagans is an unusual one on this list. Rather than being a museum in a building, this one is a museum of buildings. Wander around the pleasant landscape and discover Tudor manors, Victorian inns, workers’ cottages and even a reconstructed mediaeval royal court.

4. National Railway Museum, York

Everybody loves trains, and the National Railway Museum has a lots of them, including the famous Stephenson’s Rocket from this year. The collection covers the entire history of railways, from the early pioneers to the present day. You can even take a ride around the museum in a real steam train.

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