According to a survey by Summit Hosting(https://www.summithosting.com/blog/digital-hoarders/) of 1000 Americans, a provider of managed cloud solutions, the average American has 582 saved cellphone pictures, nearly 83 bookmarked websites, 21 desktop icons, and 13 unused phone apps, plus 645 gigabytes of material on external storage. All of this takes up valuable space in the mind. This can interfere in daily life and add to anxiety, stress, sleep disorders, and depression.  

To address this concern, the class focused on identifying what is digital clutter, for example: Is this something I rarely use? Is the information outdated? Am I hanging on to it because it seems like it “might” be important? Have I finished using it and see no reason to use it again? Is this related to something I no longer have or need? A lively discussion was held on ways to get rid of clutter i.e.: eliminate some Facebook friends, review photos and delete unwanted ones, tackle the email inbox and delete old outdated emails along with electronic equipment that is no longer useful.  A recommendation was to make a commitment for ten minutes a day to declutter devices.

19 individuals participated in the program. In a written evaluation, all participants expressed that they were going to organize and delete unwanted photographs from their phones, computers, tablets, and other devices. 18 of the participants agreed to getting rid of clutters on media devices such as computer desktops, old useless computers, clean up emails, get rid of unwanted bookmarks and social media friends that they do not know. A three-month follow-up survey is being sent out to email participants to gather information on behavioral changes.

A  follow-up online survey was emailed to participants. 10 of 12 responded they were confident they knew the signs of digital hoarding such as clutter on desktops, unwanted bookmarks, cluttered emails, and unwanted photos. 9 out of 10 responded they knew how to discard unwanted files, while 10 out of 12 knew what files they needed to keep. Additional information included suggestions on topics for future programming.