Better off in the no-phone-zone more often than not?
Freiburg, 13/01/2026
Smartphones are our constant companions. Many doctors and psychologists warn of the health consequences of excessive use. Dr Hannah Kanz from the Institute for Empirical Cultural Studies at the University of Freiburg finds this approach too one-dimensional. In her dissertation, she examined ‘practices of disconnection’ from a cultural studies perspective and advocates for a more nuanced discourse on digital media.
Pretty much everyone has a smartphone. We use it to communicate, for entertainment and information, to do our banking, and to wake us up in the morning. Criticism of how we use this new technology is growing. What is the basis for this criticism, and what conclusions can be drawn from it? Dr Hannah Kanz from the Institute for Empirical Cultural Studies at the University of Freiburg explored these questions in her doctoral thesis. She spoke to people who, for mental health reasons, have decided to give up their smartphones altogether for a while or who want to rediscover a technology-free self in so-called offline camps.
The idea for her doctoral thesis came to her during a wellness weekend. When explaining the rules of the facility, the coach in charge announced that he would take guests’ smartphones away if he caught them using them. “It was a joke, of course,” says Kanz, “but everyone just accepted it. Mobile phone use and relaxation seemed to be a contradiction. I found that interesting because so many media practices coincide on mobile phones. This includes reading, for example, and reading can certainly be relaxing.”
Everything we are now seeing in terms of offline efforts is, in a social context, an attempt to contain this technology and fit it into our norms and values. This very strong awareness of the problem, that this technology makes us so dependent and is central to all areas of life, gives rise to the need to finally take action.
Dr Hannah Kanz
Research assistant at the Institute of Cultural Anthropology and European Ethnology at the University of Freiburg
Between utopia and dystopia
Kanz began to investigate. It quickly became clear that the contradictory attitude towards smartphones follows a classic pattern: technological innovations have always been the subject of controversial debate. “New technology, especially when it is so closely linked to everyday life, is often associated with utopian fantasies of the future. At the same time, there is always the argument that new technology causes us to lose what makes us human. We have seen this back-and-forth between utopian joy and dystopian fantasies time and again in the past when new technology was introduced,” says Kanz. “Everything we are now seeing in terms of offline efforts is, in a social context, an attempt to contain this technology and fit it into our norms and values. This very strong awareness of the problem, that this technology makes us so dependent and is central to all areas of life, gives rise to the need to finally take action.”
Surveys show that many people themselves consider their mobile phone consumption to be too high. Newer smartphones usually contain trackers to monitor screen time and offer the option of limiting usage time via an app timer. And while discussions about digital media in recent years have mostly focused on participation, the focus is now on the opposite problem. “It’s not about a lack of access to the Internet, but about excess and people trying to break out of [digital] networks or redesign them in terms of quality,” explains Kanz. According to the Federal Statistical Office, in 2024 only four percent of 16- to 74-year-olds in Germany actually lived offline, i.e. without the Internet. That corresponds to just under 2.8 million people.
Offline camps
In her search for places where smartphones are put aside, Kanz came across so-called offline camps – holiday camps for adults where people come together “to experience being offline together.” The organisers advertise their offerings online and on social media, promising anyone who wants a break from their mobile phone a nature and community experience beyond the constraints of availability and electronic distractions and embedded in an analogue aesthetic. “This aesthetic becomes a symbol of what can be experienced offline,” says Kanz. The associated goal: to become aware of oneself again, to get a sense of one’s own body, to connect with the people in the camp and with the environment and to temporarily dissolve the alienation experienced through digital media. Kanz describes this as a manageable utopia: you immerse yourself “in a world completely removed from everyday life, where you don’’t have to worry about anything, a carefree zone, so to speak, where you completely relinquish control. And that is actually the true luxury: not having to discipline yourself, but being disciplined from the outside, a bit like in childhood.”
To some outsiders, this may seem bizarre, but behind it lies a genuine concern that stems from the experience of excessive networking and abundance. “You can’t make money with it,” says Kanz, because the camps are simply too cheap. Rather, they reflect a longing for authenticity that seems increasingly threatened by digital media.
Dare to relax
In fact, public discourse on new media seems to oscillate between glorification and demonisation. While increasing digitalisation is politically desirable on the one hand and creates new dependencies – without a smartphone, for example, public rental bikes often cannot be unlocked – there are warnings that mobile phones are addictive and make people lazy. Kanz criticises above all the alarming tone of this discussion. Particularly in connection with media consumption by vulnerable groups such as children and young people, the debate on the subject quickly becomes very emotional and moralising, “but the research situation, especially in psychology and neuroscience, is enormously complex,” she explains. “Much is still unclear. It is possible to infer enormous potential dangers from this, but one does not necessarily have to come to this conclusion.” A little more composure would be welcome. “I would like us to discuss these issues in a calmer, more relaxed and more reflective manner. I believe society would benefit greatly if the discourse were a little more nuanced.” Cultural studies have a contribution to make in this regard.
About the person
Dr Hannah Kanz studied history and European ethnology in Innsbruck and Belfast. After completing her master’s degree in 2018, she initially worked as a doctoral candidate at the Institute of History and European Ethnology at the University of Innsbruck. Since October 2020, she has been a research assistant at the Institute of Cultural Anthropology and European Ethnology at the University of Freiburg. In early 2025, she completed her doctoral thesis entitled “Offline-Sein. Eine Ethnographie von Praktiken der Entnetzung” (“Being Offline. An Ethnography of Disconnection Practices” in Freiburg. She is currently researching the topics of death and burial.
Hannah Kanz: “Offline-Sein. Eine Ethnographie von Praktiken der Entnetzung.” Freiburger Studien zur Kulturanalyse, (“Being Offline. An Ethnography of Disconnection Practices.” Freiburg Studies in Cultural Analysis), Volume 11. Münster 2025.