He kissed his wife goodbye, drove in the direction of his office and quietly disappeared. He had lost his job, and was too ashamed to tell his wife the truth. According to this story detailed by Time magazine in 2017, the man disappeared to Sanya in Japan, a place so remote that it didn’t even exist on the map.
This is just one example of Johatsu: a Japanese term for ‘evaporated people'. Some abandon their homes, cars, and even their names, disappearing into a void of anonymity. They shed their names and identities, climbing into a secret world where their return is uncertain.
Variations of this vanishing phenomenon occur globally, though perhaps often less dramatically. In simpler terms, it’s called ‘going off the grid.’ Dubai-based clinical psychologist, Rassil Ghazzaoui defines the phrase as disconnecting from mainstream society and its systems. She says, "Going off the grid has several meanings. Earlier, it meant living without using public utilities like electricity, water, and other life necessities. People did this to be more self-reliant." However, with changing times, as she explains, going off the grid means a form of disconnection.
This disconnecting can manifest in many ways. Some seek solitude in Nature, while others opt for a more digital detox, deleting social media apps — once a primary indicator of online presence. In essence, going off the grid can be as simple as unplugging and retreating into the tranquility of one's own company.
So, why would someone choose to do this?
Going off the grid
Quite often, going off the grid often stems from a desire to escape overwhelming situations in life. For instance, Dubai-based Niranjana Shekhar (name changed on request), retreated from her friends as she was too embarrassed to tell them that she hadn’t completed her undergraduate degree. Living alone in England was too stressful and she could not write her examinations. And so, she returned to Dubai, avoided her friends, disconnected from social media and stayed home with her parents. She adds, “I needed to understand myself before explaining to them.”
And so she stepped away.
As Elena Thompson, a Dubai-based British psychologist explains, what could happen to someone that they see see disappearing as an attractive alternative? She says, “Sometimes, when life is too anxiety-inducing, people seek a tempting escape and ‘disappear’, which means that they could just be sitting in the comfort of their homes or going on a holiday, but essentially, they avoid communication with their community. This could be due to career struggles, broken relationships, or financial difficulties.” In many cases, they prefer to come to terms with their situation before ‘returning’ to people. In more worrying situations, it leads to self-isolating habits, when they fear meeting others out of shame, judgement and embarrassment.
Often in rather extreme cases, people don’t want to face the consequences of their actions, adds Thompson. Abu Dhabi-based Merrilee Keyes, a Scottish researcher recalls a colleague who had a rather heated, unsavoury exchange with his boss and stormed out of the office, claiming he was resigning. After cooling down, he realised that he had crossed a line, but was too embarrassed to apologise. And so, he disappeared, avoiding any questions, concerns from colleagues, friends, and the Human Resources manager as well. She says, “From what I understood, he returned to England, his home.”
However, sometimes, overwhelming stress might not be the only reason why a person might want to go off the grid. They just need some quiet and solitude.
Searching for solitude
To quote the Sufi poet Rumi, the quieter you become, the more you can hear.
A person could just go off the grid, as a means to reflect on oneself, and focus on their passions, without constant distractions. As the psychologists explain, people could just wish to take a break from work and people, and do something for themselves.
And this involves, leaving the digital world behind.
Disconnecting from social media: The most common understanding of vanishing
Disconnecting from social media has become a common way to ‘go off the grid.’
According to Dubai-based psychologists Farah Dahabi and Catherine Musa, people often choose to step away from social platforms to improve mental health, enhance privacy, quiet solitude or just pursuing their own interests. Instead of scrolling and allowing others to reach them only digitally, they sometimes choose to foster deeper personal relationships. "This break from social media allows people to reconnect with the real world, engage in face-to-face conversations, and enjoy offline activities," adds Ghazzaoui.
This digital detox significantly reduces anxiety and stress, as Musa explains. Social media platforms, boon as they are in terms of connectivity, also tend to contribute to negative mental health by fostering social comparison, exposure to negative news, and pressure to maintain an idealised online image. However, a temporary and well-planned disconnection, can encourage a shift from external validation to internal satisfaction, as she says.
There’s a right way to go off the grid that still honours our commitments and relationships. We cannot simply ghost the people in our lives, which is destructive and hurtful....
Dubai-based Pallavi Shraddha, a sales representative, explains her own story as an example: She didn’t uninstall any of the social media applications, but she didn’t check her notifications, either. For a couple of weeks, she also narrowed down the list of people that she actually wanted to be in touch with. “It actually helped a lot,” she says.
A well-planned digital detox can significantly boost a person's well-being. As highlighted by Dahabi and Ghazzaoui, disconnecting from the constant barrage of distractions allows people to reclaim their time, space, and mental peace. By limiting such stimuli, people can foster deeper connections with themselves, unleash their creativity and gain fresh perspectives. Moreover, the absence of constant interruptions helps focus and productivity. They can dedicate themselves fully to work, hobbies, or personal goals. This solitude can also re-energise relationships, intimacy and generate more gratitude for people in our lives.
However, the psychologists warn of the dangers regarding impulsive and rash disconnections. There’s a right way to go off the grid that still honours our commitments and relationships. We cannot simply ghost the people in our lives, which is destructive and hurtful. Moreover, there could be unsettling psychological implications of just going off the grid as an impulse without a clear plan in mind. It could lead to intense loneliness and isolation, culminating in depression, they explain. At the end of the day, people do need human connection and relationships for support.
It's essential to consider the potential downsides, such as isolation and personal and professional impact. Striking a balance, like taking periodic breaks rather than a complete disconnection, might offer the best of both worlds...
‘Your identity slips away’
Prolonged isolation can make reconnecting with others difficult, as social skills and relationships may have atrophied. British author and journalist Neil Ansell famously retreated off the grid in the 1980s. After living in London, he moved to a cottage in the Welsh mountains. Surrounded by stunning open skies and ravens, he reveled in his isolation, for five years. However, when he returned to civilisation, he found that conversations were now a challenge, Ansell explained in the interview to BBC Channel in 2020, “What I found difficult was the amount of talking. I’m not an antisocial person, but I did struggle with that.”
His identity had begun to slip away. “When you’re alone, you start to lose your sense of who you are, because you don't have an image of yourself reflected in the way that other people react to you. So I think to some extent, when I returned I had to rediscover who I could be in a social setting,” he explained.
The ‘right way’ to go off the grid: Is it beneficial?
Is it an advisable thing to do, to cut off from everyone?
Musa and Ghazzaoui advise a rather moderate approach. Whether going off the grid is beneficial largely depends on an individual's specific situation and their handling of the balance between online and offline worlds. Frequently, a moderate approach, rather than completely cutting off, proves most effective, allowing people to enjoy the benefits of staying connected while minimising the potential downsides, explain the psychologists.
Whether going off the grid is beneficial largely depends on an individual's specific situation and their handling of the balance between online and offline worlds. Frequently, a moderate approach, rather than completely cutting off, proves most effective...
Nevertheless, if you have decided to go off the grid completely, reflect on what you aim to achieve during this pause, set a reasonable timeline to help manage expectations and measure the impact of your withdrawal, adds Musa. “Let your loved ones know about it, and how they can reach you, maintaining important relationships and support during your break,” she says. Dahabi adds to this, “Be sure to inform people close to you of your plans to go off the grid and of a way of getting in touch with you in case of an emergency. Let them know when you'll be coming back 'online.' Turn off notifications, limit checking your phone, and you may put your phone on Do Not Disturb. Building a mindful practice ahead of time will maximise your capacity to be present with yourself, others, or Nature during your off time,” she says.
