When two different friends on the same day recommended Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World, I immediately bought the book. Not only because it came recommended, but also because the title was calling my name. I have a love/hate relationship with social media and other tech. Social media, particularly, has caused me problems: anxiety, loss of time, distractability, and difficulty reading books (even though books are my passion). I often want to quit social media and throw out my smartphone, but abandoning tech entirely doesn’t seem to be the answer. What to do? Digital Minimalism charts a path forward.
As Newport lays out, the goal is not to stop using technology; the goal is to have a philosophy for why and how one uses it. Importantly, “fasting” from tech doesn’t typically work. I’ve done this in the past. I even deleted my Facebook account for six months of blissful serenity a couple years ago. But the benefits of tech wooed me back. What I lacked was a philosophy for the why and how of tech. Newport suggests not merely a detox for a short period but a “decluttering.” This involves getting in touch with our values and discerning how tech use is congruent with our broader life goals.
First, Newport explains the way social media (or rather tech companies) use us by manipulating human psychology. Human beings crave social approval, and psychological studies show that we are particularly influenced by “intermittent positive reinforcement” (16). That’s why the “like” button on Facebook, Twitter/X, Instagram and other social media are so powerful. It’s like a slot machine that keeps us pulling the level because maybe, just maybe, all the money will pour out this time. We compulsively check to see if posts receive likes and how many, which keeps us on our phones, which keeps us scrolling, which pays advertisers big bucks. Newport says the same dynamics makes click bait work. Just maybe this time, the click bait will yield the best article we’ve ever read.
But rather that tech mastering us, Newport wants us to take control of tech through digital minimalism, “a philosophy of technology use in which you focus your online time on a small number of carefully selected and optimized activity that strongly support things you value, and then happily miss out on everything else” (27). Implementing such a philosophy requires major changes in our approach to tech, as well as on-going discernment. In other words, it’s kind of like a regular spiritual practice.
A key principle of digital minimalism is that less is more. Our aim is not for what is good or even beneficial; our aim is for what is best. Tech can be helpful for all kinds of things, but what is the best use of it for my life and values? For example, a variety of online newspapers and magazines might provide good or interesting articles, but we don’t need to read all of them. The goal is to declutter, focusing on the best. That means skipping the “breaking news” that often characterizes social media and, instead, waiting until a thorough investigation yields a more substantive report. Instead of scrolling social media for news, which yields random headlines, utilize Apps like Instapaper or Feedly to tailor and curate your news.
Newport says the way to become a digital minimalist is through “rapid transformation” (59). Gradual change of habit will not work. He suggests starting with three steps:
- Take a 30 day break from all optional tech (i.e. not strictly required for work).
- Use this time to rediscover leisure activity you enjoy (its crucial to replace tech habits with something else).
- After 30 days, reintegrate tech but in a new way that incorporates your values.
Here’s the thing: the 30 day break is not merely a detox. If we treat it that way, we’ll be right back to our old habits once the break is over. The 30 days is not about sitting around waiting; it’s re-engaging and rediscovering other activities you love that have been abandoned because of addiction to tech. Often people give up on the break because they haven’t replaced the time previously used texting, scrolling, and binge-watching with other activities.
The break helps us to see what we actually miss. What people? What activities? If you are like me, I’ve lost touch with leisure activity. That’s partly from time wasted on tech, but also over-working. Sometimes, I even work because I don’t know what to do with myself. But if we allow space to be bored, resisting cheap distractions, we create room to revive a leisure life. Importantly, leisure is not laying around doing nothing. In fact, that will likely be counter-productive. Rather, think in terms of leisure activity: playing an instrument, meeting a friend for coffee, taking up a sport, joining a club, reading a book, drawing a picture. If you are having trouble discerning what you like, consider the things that brought you joy as a child.
Newport rightly says we need regular time where we are not inundated with external voices and in-put. That is, we need scheduled time where we can be alone with our thoughts. Solitude is essential. If we fill up our brain space with constant input from tech, our brain has no opportunity to reflect, envision, problem solve, create. This doesn’t mean you have to be literally alone. You can be sitting in a coffee shop thinking and journaling, for example. Walking is one of Newport’s favorite ways to be alone with his thoughts, and it’s one of mine too. Studies show that both journaling and walking have an effect on our brain’s ability to process thoughts and emotions.
Other practical suggestions Newport makes are:
- Take distracting apps off your phone. Use your desktop/laptop to access social media instead.
- Experiment with leaving the house without your phone. People survived just fine in the past without having a phone as an appendage.
- Don’t click the like button on social media, call the person instead or set up a time to visit in-person.
- Decide on operating procedures for phone/tech use (e.g. only check social media on a desktop and after 5pm on Wednesdays)
- Keep your phone in silent mode as the default setting. If absolutely necessary, set ring tones if you need to be on-call for a particular person.
- Have a set time/day of the week for taking calls where folk know they can call you spontaneously, rather than trying to schedule phone appointments with each person. Or do the same with regular drop-in hours at a coffee shop.
- Schedule all tech time so that its use is strategic and well-managed.
- Consider trading your smart phone for a dumb phone.
A major point Newport makes that I had not fully considered is the way social media cheapens our relationships (127). In the past, when I considered getting off social media, I hated the thought of losing connection with people. But Newport is right: the like button too often replaces real conversation. We have traded phone conversations and face-to-face visits for simply clicking like. Newport goes so far as to say that only phone/video calls and face-to-face conversations count for maintaining a relationship; tech should be used primarily as a logistical tool for setting up those deeper interactions (147-153). So, instead of texting a long thread, we might send a text to set up a phone call or face-to-face conversation.
Newport states, “The idea that it’s valuable to maintain vast numbers of weak-tie social connections is largely an invention of the past decade or so” (154). Social media keeps us trying to stay connected to too many people, when it’s not humanly possible to maintain quality relationships with that many. Instead we have superficial interactions with an overwhelming number of folk. This can give the illusion of friendship; but it’s not.
Studies suggest we can keep up with about five close loved ones and fifteen good friends. And we can maintain a broader network of about 150 meaningful connections. Digital minimalism helps us to discern which people we are going to actively invest in, and focus primarily on those people. I once had a Facebook Friend message me to say he was narrowing his Facebook contacts to only family and close friends, and no offense but I was not on that list. He wanted me to know that unfriending me on FB was nothing personal. He was simply changing his social media use. I gave him my hearty blessing. I now suspect he may have read Digital Minimalism. While his approach is not the only approach to digital minimalism with social media, it’s a helpful example.
The foundation of digital minimalism is knowing your values and what you want from life. I realized as I read Newport’s book that I had used tech without much thought to why and how I use it, without being intentional and discerning about it. I was so inspired at the prospect of now doing so that I jumped into the 30 day break without hesitation. I have been off social media for two weeks now, and honestly it has been a relief. But I also know I don’t want to abandon it entirely. The last several days have given me space to begin contemplating my philosophy of tech and what digital minimalism will look like in my own life. See my next post where I share how I put all this into practice.