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All photo: Courtesy of Dixie
Since its inception, social media has advantageously changed the communication landscape. Yet, amongst the Tweets, Instagram photos, and Facebook links we often literally lose sight of the people sitting directly across from us. This waning human interaction is a growing phenomenon, but disposable tableware company, Dixie has a solution.
Dixie will launch its social movement “Dark for Dinner” June 14 to encourage consumers to unplug and connect with the people around them. “Dark for Dinner” will take place every Sunday for six weeks to help families “Be More Here” and enjoy quality time during dinner.
As the resident supplier of America’s paper tableware for over a century, Dixie knows what makes a successful dinner. They are asking for families to remove cell phones from the dinner table and Tweet what they learned from the experience using the hashtag, #DarkforDinner.
“We saw an opportunity to be the antidotes to life’s distractions by encouraging our consumers to be more present during moments that matter most and spend more meaningful time together, especially during dinner, “ said Andrew Noble, senior brand director of Dixie Consumer Products.
Families can participate in the movement with the following steps:
- Turning social feeds “dark” by not interacting with social media at all
- Put away your device to concentrate enjoy time with family and friends
- Share your experience on social media with the hashtag, #DarkforDinner, to encourage others to join the movement every Sunday
Starting June 10, Dixie will air a national television ad campaign to promote its movement. Four real families demonstrate the benefit of putting their phones away during dinner. Watch the extended cut and the commercial on YouTube here.
Dixie has paired with Dr. Michele Borba, an internationally renowned parenting and family expert, to provide consumers with advice and insight into socializing without distractions.
“I’m supporting the Dixie Dark for Dinner movement by asking families to make sure work calls, social media and other distractions are paused during dinner, so they can enjoy great conversation and family time,” Dr. Borba said.
A commissioned national survey (of 1500 adults and 500 teens) by Dixie found that 25 percent of participants’ families totally ban electronic devices at the dinner table; 70 percent profiled adults as the worst offenders of being distracted during dinner; the top distraction is getting phone calls, followed by emails and text messages.
Moreover, in 2014, a NYC restaurant in Midtown East stole headlines, by reporting that it saw a 50-minute increase in dinner times due to the increase in phone usage. The restaurateur referred to surveillance videos from 2004 to 2014 to understand the cause for the delay in service time. It was discovered that customers were distracted by their phones and could thus not order as efficiently as they did ten years prior. Some NYC restaurants have even discouraged the photographing of food!
While there’s no debate that modern cellphone technology has been improved convenience and communication for millions, there’s a stoppage point. Dixie encourages you not to cross it for one evening. Besides, why even bother to dine with company when you can’t be of company?
– by Nisha Stickles