I didn't see the author expect a damned thing. He said he's personally seen the light and thinks that others would benefit from occasionally putting down the technology and having immersive real-world experiences.

Learn an instrument, make your own music; read a map, navigate for yourself; don't call people, talk to the people you're with; don't pay for shit, you've got enough of it already. Doing this one day a week sounds like an excellent idea to me, and if it sounds like a hardship to you, perhaps the author made a point.