6 minute Quick read.
Digital detox - abstaining from social media, a smart phone is popular these days. So are the attempts like
deleting apps, removing notifications, purging follow lists, and un-friend
contacts are also very common ways to reduce digital clutter in life.
Cal Newport, author
of digital minimalism argues
such an ad hoc approach doesn’t really help in the long run. Particularly as
you are fighting billion-dollar Goliath of tech giants spending on your
attention.
You may value your attention
and time for keeping an update in your field, spending quality time with
family, contributing back to society, diving deep in your spiritual practices
or simply enrich your leisure life. Whatever you value, you need to protect your time. In order to get rid of attention-seeking
technologies and focus on value-adding activities - rather than ad hoc
approach, - what you need is overarching philosophy and strategy deriving from
it.
Digital Minimalism provides us
three principles for such a philosophy.
Principle #1: Clutter is costly.
For example, Thoreau spent
2 years, 2 months and 2 days in a self-made cabin in the woods. Away from the
world and came out with Walden – America’s
most celebrated literature piece. The biggest chapter in the book is about the
economy. Thoreau meticulously tracked every dollar spent. And he concluded that
to live his life, he just needs to work for
one day per week. This is for the industrial age of mid-1800. Thoreau’s
idea is not new. But his way of measuring money in terms of “cost of life” was
new. According to him every extra hour he spent in earning, is akin to farmers'
"smothered and crushed" life.
Similarly cluttering one’s life
with social media and all of its paraphernalia clutters life and leaves us
“smothered and crushed” for a quality life. Thus clutter is costly.
Principle #2: Optimization is important.
The Law of diminishing
returns always works. For instance, if
one keeps on adding more people or resources on a software project, one may see
it useful at the start. But continuous addition of manpower will ultimately retard the project. This works
in every field. Hence optimization is necessary.
So is the case for the use of
technology. If we keep on adding one app or tool over others, finally it
burdens us down.
But surprisingly we don’t try
to optimize use. Seemingly there are two reasons for it.
- Most of tech products (e.g. Smart Wearable or WhatsApp ) are too new. Novelty seeking, experimentation factor continues and we refrain from optimization.
- Second is cynical reason. Those big-tech giants are spending billions of dollars on technology. They want you to think of the ecosystem as useful, fun, and interesting. So often they instigate to refrains from optimization.
Thus optimization in technology
is important.
Principle #3: Intentionality is satisfying: Lessons
of Amish hackers
Amish people
seems to be frozen in time, And myth goes that they are averse to
technology. They are not
connected to the common electric grid, don’t use automobiles, and unthinkable
for smart phone addicts - they don’t use smart phones at all, not even those
old numbered or dial phones. They use community phone booths. Our young generation may not have seen them at all!
Deeper research in their lifestyle shows that
they don’t reject all technology.
They scrutinize it carefully. If the technology is detrimental to their values,
community or church they discard it. And they have a well-established
community-driven process to do this.
Being intentional, purposeful in the use of tech products
not only will bring satisfaction but meaning and flourishing in life.
Thus these three principles can help us develop overarching
philosophy to minimize the use of technology in our life. And gain our precious
autonomy - first step towards digital de-addiction.
[This is my take or review/summary of 2nd chapter
of Cal Newport’s book – Digital Minimalism].
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