Unplug with Filmmaker Dominic White
1. How did you get involved in Unplugging?
I started unplugging because I wanted to give my mind an opportunity to do what it does best: create. Because we are constantly plugged in there is a tendency to just imitate what we are experiencing online and on our devices. Our brains are so marvelous and mysterious I think its often better to let them run free and take us to places we would never have imagined…or experienced online.
2. What do you do when you unplug?
I usually dedicate my unplug time to writing. A few times a year I dedicate and entire Saturday to hanging out at various cafes, coffee shops and eateries reading short stories and nothing else. Some of my best unplug time is lounging on my couch, in the dark, getting lost in some great music.
3. What is the most overrated piece of modern technology?
Although the smartphone is probably the most irritating, I find Twitter to not only be overrated but it has also proven to be an excellent way for a few off-handedly typed words to cause embarrassment on an international scale and ruin careers.
4. Do you make unplugging a regular practice? If so, How?
I try very hard to make unplugging a regular practice though I don’t always succeed. One of the most successful methods that works along with getting exercise is making sure I fit in 30 minutes of walking either in my neighborhood or at the beach towards the end of the day. It ends the night on a positive note and gets me prepared to sleep.
5. Any plans for the next NDU?
If Digital Detox hosts Unplug LA in 2016 I will be there for sure waiting to get my face painted.
6. If you could unplug and spend with one person for an hour, who would it be and what would you do?
For one hour, just before sunset, I would head to the beach with my “unexpected surprise” and while enjoying some good conversation, listen to the ocean as the sky turns orange, pink and purple.
Dominic H. White is an award-winning filmmaker whose love of motion pictures started when his mother began taking him to the drive-in as a kid. Dominic is the creator of DSKNKTD a film that explores the impact of digital communication technology on face-to-face communication. He has received various awards over the course of his career including a New York City Emmy nomination for a PSA series he co-wrote and directed. He loves snowboarding, Maine Coon cats and sunflower seeds.