Unwound

Cristina Ghita

In the cabin of our absence
our screens glow no more,   
gifting us fragile threads     
woven in our dreams. 

Time-ashen clocks are resting, stilled,   
Unwound.    
Bodies and minds feel stretched,   
drawn by mute yearning.

Our hands reach like spectres 
through folds and textures,    
touching shapes of nothing   

The Science

This poem is inspired by my doctoral dissertation in which I studied the intentional non-use of digital devices. It draws on ethnographic fieldwork at a digital detox camp cabin where I, together with five other participants, lived without access to any digital technology, locking our smartphones away.

The poem draws on this study’s results, outlining the tensions inherent in digital disconnection; for example, participants dreamt of using their smartphones, experiencing a temporal ‘stretching’ brought on by difficulty in time-keeping. The poem also touches upon the phantom vibration syndrome, meaning the sensation of a vibrating ringing phone upon one’s body without the device being actually present (especially in digital disconnection contexts), which has been the topic of several studies. The work illustrates the intimate and integral part that digital devices play in our lives and the sensorial experience that their absence can produce, further emphasized through the poem’s final empty line. Hence, the title ‘Unwound’ plays with the double meaning which tension can have in this context, namely that of being released from tension of having to be digitally available, and the distressing tension arising when a separation is made from the comfort of the digital ecosystem one is part of.

The Poet

Cristina Ghita is an interdisciplinary researcher based in Sweden, holding a PhD in Information Systems. Her work explores the relationships between individuals, organisations, and technology and their mutual constitution. A trained ethnographer, contexts for her work have been in the area of exploring the sociomaterial assemblages produced by intentional non-use of digital technologies, or the socio-technical changes emerging in the sustainable energy transition. Furthermore, Cristina nourishes an interest in the integration of creative and experimental writing in academic outputs, as well as reflective methodologies, both grounded in a strong interest in philosophy of science.

Next poem: walking on a tree-lined street in fall by Sharisa Aidukaitis