This book argues that technology, especially social media, has been deliberately engineered by Silicon Valley to be addictive, and that often there are detrimental impacts to the products we all use every day. That argument makes sense in that these products are measured by the amount of time they are used per user (and thus the advertising revenue generated), and have evolutionary pressure to find ways to increase user minutes per day. There is also research cited in the book that anxiety levels in teenagers have increased in a manner which correlates with the release of the smart phone.
Now, I don’t think I could ever be a digital minimalist as described in the book, especially when work expects so much connectivity from me (it will be interesting if a right to switch off ever passes in Australia, put it that way), but I do think there are interesting ideas here.
For example, asking why you have certain technology is probably reasonable. The low hanging fruit here seems to be smartphone apps for most people — can you explain why you have all those apps installed? Especially when many of them are bad for your privacy? The bar proposed by the book is that any technology you use should support your values. I do a little of that, I left twitter because I was done with Elon’s antics for example.
The book goes on to quote an economist called Walden, who argued that the true cost of something is the amount of your life you needed to convert to money to acquire the thing. The logical extension is that social media for example also costs some amount of your life, and that you need to figure out if that lost time is worth the benefit you receive in return.
Interestingly, the book also asserts that the Amish are examples of intentional digital minimalists. Apparently they don’t refuse all technology, but assess each new development on the basis of if it is a benefit to their community or not. Given I’ve never met an Amish person I’ll take their word for it.
One of the things we lose when constantly online is the benefits of solitary reflection, which the book defined as time spent outside of the influence of others thoughts. What are these benefits? Insights you would otherwise miss, and self reflection.
The book then moves onto a series of techniques to help develop higher quality in person relationships that are meaningful conversations instead of fleeting interactions. It also suggests developing meaningful leisure activities helps avoid the cheap distraction of scrolling social media in your idle moments.
Overall I’d say this book makes an interesting argument, but I’m not completely onboard. I do think I could benefit from using social media less, and there are some interesting ideas on how to approach that, but I am unlikely to go on a “social media detox” for a month. Instead, I think I will ask the question “what benefit do I derive from this service” more often, which is still inline with the books recommendations.
Business & Economics
Penguin Business
2020
Most of us know that we're addicted to texting, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter not because we're stupid or shallow, but because they provide real value in the form of connection, community, affirmation and information. But these tools can also disrupt our ability to focus on meaningful work and live fully in the present. In Digital Minimalism, Cal Newport outlines a practical philosophy and plan for a mindful, intentional use of technology that maximises its benefits while minimizing its drain on our attention, focus and time. Demonstrating how to implement a 30-day digital detox, this book will help you identify which uses of technology are actually helping you reach your goals, and which are holding you back.