“We have to stop being behind screens, scrolling and living through others. Get outside. If you have a project, do it. » In tears, at the summit of Everest, Inoxtag urges its 8.4 million subscribers to disconnect. In Kaizenhis video released last Friday in theaters and Saturday on YouTube, he returns to his project of climbing the highest peak in the world. The common thread is his need to take a step back from his hectic daily life as a content creator and to get away from the screens.
A message that was poorly taken by some Internet users. To critics, this call rings hollow coming from an influencer who built his career on YouTube videos. The choice to go to Everest, with all that this implies in terms of overtourism, mountain pollution and the carbon footprint, has also been criticized. Especially since there is no need to take a plane to Nepal to disconnect.
Make way for the micro-adventure
This is the challenge of actors like Chilowé. Created in 2017, this company is both a media and a travel agency, specializing in “micro-adventure”. The proposition: “Live an adventure without going far, encourage citizens to reconnect with nature,” explains Ferdinand Martinet, co-founder and director. When Chilowé was launched, “we were responding to an observation at a frantic pace,” he continues. The need to disconnect was increasing, and we can’t wait until summer every time to take a breather. »
Several reasons fuel this need to disconnect. In his article published in 2019 in the scientific journal Hermès, “Desire and practices of disconnection”, researcher Francis Jauréguiberry lists “unwanted information, unwanted calls, work overload, confusion between urgency and importance, new addictions and unauthorized controls” brought about by new technologies. And if some disconnections are forced by the risk of burnout, others are chosen as a voluntary ordeal. “Disconnection opens a moment or period of self-dialogue, reflexivity, confrontation with the meaning of one’s life and reunion with one’s interiority,” explains the sociology researcher.
“Three days of disconnection have as much impact as three weeks”
How to reconcile the constraints of life as an adult city dweller, with his metro-work-sleep, with his desires? “Go more often for less,” replies Ferdinand Martinet. Everyone can find their Everest near them. » For a challenge similar to Inoxtag, rather than climbing a summit of the Himalayas (long to organize, long on site, very expensive, heavy carbon footprint), Chilowé offers for example three days in the Ecrins massif, located in the Southern Alps. “The level of satisfaction is the same,” praises the co-founder of the agency. According to our feedback, three days of disconnection have as much impact as three weeks in reducing stress and anxiety. »
These travel recommendations also promote the diversity of French landscapes – “Make people say: ‘I didn’t know I could experience something so strong so close.’ “. Above all, they want to support a broader trend. “The Covid-19 crisis has highlighted a need to reconnect,” underlines Ferdinand Martinet. But the reality today is different: increase in air traffic [qui, retrouve son niveau d’avant pandémie]return to big cities, decline in teleworking. » He defends a change in mentalities. “We grew up with distant imaginations: Tintin, Cousteau, Ushuaïa. Often, we associate a change of scenery with the number of kilometers. This is perhaps the limitation of Inoxtag’s film. » The next time you need to take a breather, Inox, just take a ticket to Grenoble.