TUKWILA, WASH. — Like many professionals, Mark Stiffler spent countless hours surfing the Internet, typing e-mails and talking on a cellphone. The "wired" life took a toll.
It made him edgy and disconnected. His dependence on high-technology began feeling much like addiction and, like many addictions, this one affected his personal relationships.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Saturday, December 01, 2007 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 31 words Type of Material: Correction
Orcas Island trees: An article Nov. 22 in Section A about a retreat for technophiles on Orcas Island in Puget Sound identified trees there as Madonna trees. They are Madrona trees.
"Many of us are wondering if technology is taking over," said Stiffler, who owns a Web development firm.
He isn't alone in his concerns. Recently he joined an eclectic cadre of techies intent on weaning themselves from their dependence on high technology. The group meets for workshops to assess the cost of all that pinging, surfing and blogging -- and to make the changes it feels are necessary.
Perhaps it's to be expected that such a group would form in the Seattle area, the hardware and software mecca that is home to such high-tech juggernauts as Microsoft Corp. and Amazon.com Inc.
The participants don't exactly rage against the gadgets, but they have decided to back off from all things high-tech, said Leif Hansen, founder of Spark Northwest, sponsor of the workshops.
The sessions are held at a retreat center on Orcas Island in the Puget Sound. With its twisting Madonna trees and spectacular vistas, the tranquil setting lends itself to decidedly low-tech reflections.
"I see people very overwhelmed," said Hansen, a Gig Harbor, Wash., theologian and personal coach. "It's a touchy subject. As with any addiction, people are somewhat in denial. Part of it is people really like living in their virtual worlds."
With technology, "we are increasing the ability to reach each other," Hansen said, "but the depth and quality of that reach is not increased."
Some of the exercises used at the sessions are as simple as sitting around a chalkboard, listing questions and then answering them.
Typical questions: Is Internet overuse similar to kleptomania or compulsive shopping? How does technology affect human fulfillment? Where is it going? And about cellphone implants: Would you be first in line or head for the hills?
Other exercises incorporate elements of improvisational theater. Most activities get participants out of their chairs and moving to relate to one another more physically and to use more senses than they would in cyberspace.
At one recent session, Hansen had people stand around different points in the room to represent where they are on a tech-consumption continuum: nonuser, avid technophile or balanced in between.
