In the world of cell phones, people are able to contact each other quickly and easily. So how do you go about having a quiet night from your friends? Make it so you go a day without electronic communication. Usually results in something important coming up, and you being unable to be contacted.
Those with their phones or computers off are living in the moment, not worrying about anyone else. When they do turn their phone or computer back on, they often find a message waiting for them.
See also Cutting the Electronic Leash, Cell Phones Are Useless.
Examples
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Advertising
- In a commercial for McDonald's, a couple are about to head off on their honeymoon, and he checks his phone. She complains that they agreed no phones, but he's just checking his email. But oh, no! The McRib is back and he's going to miss it because of their honeymoon! "I married a 12-year-old."
- In a commercial for a cruise line, the wife says to the husband that they promised "no phones," but he reveals that he's been taking pictures of their kids having fun.
- An ad for Famous Footwear shows a family seated at the dinner table, and the husband/father collects everyone's devices in a basket before they begin eating.
Comic Books
- In Batman: Year One, James Gordon and his wife plan to have a relaxing night to themselves. James gets a call from the station regarding Batman, and apologizes to Barbara for forgetting to unplug the phone.
Film
- In Apollo 13, Mattingly takes his phone off the hook, an older variant of this trope. It forces NASA to send someone to his home after the spacecraft explodes and they need his help.
- In Moms' Night Out, Alysson takes everyone's cell phones away and locks them in the minivan so they'll have an uninterrupted night. Then, the minivan disappears...
- In Save Yourselves!, Su and Jack vow to unplug themselves from technology and the outside world for a week, all while staying at a friend's isolated cabin in the woods.
- In Sharknado 2: The Second One, Martin Brody promised his son that he won't be distracted by work so he turned off his phone. Unfortunately, that was right before the Sharknado hit New York City.
Literature
- Diary of a Wimpy Kid: In Book 5, when Greg attends a Lock-in at the school, the chaperones make all the participants surrender their phones. During the night, the confiscated phones started ringing, forcing the chaperones to turn them off. Hours later, a bunch of angry parents come to the school to take their children back home because they tried to call them and didn't get an answer, leaving behind Greg and Rowley, who don't have cell phones.
Live Action TV
- In Awkward., Matty and Jake turned their phones off for a 'Bro-be-que'. Thus Matty missed Jenna calling him to come help her.
- CSI: NY: Danny and Lindsay agree to this on vacation, though Lindsay sneaks hers along anyway to take pictures. The trouble is, the rest of the team find out there's a serial killer hunting the family for revenge. She turns it on - just in time for someone to save them, naturally.
- How I Met Your Mother:
- Barney took Marshall away to give his pregnant wife, Lily, some space. Once they had turned their phones off, Lily went into labor.
- Ted went on a date with a girl where they had one rule: No Internet. When Ted caves and looks her up, he finds her to be an amazing girl, and is so overawed by her that he becomes a wreck.
- In an early episode of the The Middle, Frankie is stressed out from doing so much for everybody else, so she takes fifteen minutes just for her in the bathroom at Ehlert's, turning off her phone. When she turns it back on, she has numerous messages and finds out that all sorts of bad things have happened. A police officer is then shocked to hear that she, a mom, thought she could have time to herself.
- An episode of NUMB3RS titled "One Hour" dealt with a Real Time hostage crisis wherein the cast rushed all over L.A. to save a kidnapped boy. The episode's B-Plot involved Don seeing an FBI-appointed psychologist (mandatory because of a shooting that had happened in an earlier episode), who asked Don to turn off his phone for the duration.
- Fuller House: In the third episode, "Funner House," Joey forces the kids to put down their devices to make them have fun together.
Music
- The theme tune for the game show To Tell the Truth had the lyrics "You said you went home early last night / The book you read's outta sight / And that's why you took the phone off the hook and never did get my call."
Visual Novels
- Melody had this type of agreement at a get-together that Sophia goes to for an unusual reason: the get-together is a skinny dipping party, and nobody want their nude pictures in the hands of someone who could embarrass and/or blackmail them.
Western Animation
- Inside Job (2021): In "The Brettfast Club," Cognito Inc. visits a town permanently stuck in The '80s, so Brett decides it'd be a good time to leave their cell phones behind as it could give them more face-to-face time and would help them blend into the decade better. This becomes an issue when Myc goes missing and they don't have easy tracking technology, though Reagan manages to improvise.
- Rick and Morty:
- In "Anatomy Park", Jerry confiscates everyone's electronic devices so that they can have a traditional, intimate Christmas together, but it backfires when he gets upstaged by his mother's lover. The episode ends with Jerry happily giving everyone their devices back.
- In "Childrick of Mort", Jerry calls Morty and Summer out for using their phones during the camping trip.
