Lady Gaga, Ryan Seacrest and more swearing off social media for charity

While the notion of quitting Twitter and Facebook cold turkey is strange and terrifying to some, a handful of powerful celebs are doing it for charity -- including Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake, Jennifer Hudson and Ryan Seacrest.

The effort is fronted by singer and new mom Alicia Keys, for her cause Keep a Child Alive. The massive sign-off, or so-called "digital death," will remain in effect until donations reach $1 million.

"It's so important to shock you to the point of waking up," Keys said. "It's not that people don't care or it's not that people don't want to do something, it's that they never thought of it quite like that."

In addition to not touching the social networking sites, stars including Kim Kardashian and Keys' husband Swizz Beatz will present "final tweet and testament," videos in which they explain the charity's message while lying in coffins (a not-so-subtle reference to the concept of digital death).

Funds will be raised via text message donations and bar-code technology through the organization's Buy Life campaign.

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-- Matt Donnelly
Twitter.com/MattDonnelly

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Photo: Ryan Seacrest in his official Buy Life campaign shot. Credit: BuyLife.org