Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World

Cal Newport advocates an "Amish" approach to modern technology. On the surface, the Amish appear to reject much of modern technology. However, it is actually a very thoughtful decision process. Any new technology is evaluated for the benefit that it can provide for the community. Cars were seen to have a negative impact, so they were not adopted. Electricity is fine, but connecting to the grid is not due to the external dependency. 

In our lives, social media and modern internet technology can have benefits, but it can also have a very negative impact in our lives. Conflicting studies of social media bear that out. There are bits of social interaction that help. However, the entire ecosystem is designed to suck us in and be obsessed with the "likes" of others. We can spend so much time with these "digital friends" that we don't have time to spend with our real world friends.

News sites, games and other internet activities can also be negative. We may intend to just spend a few minutes, but we end up following links down rabbit holes. Or we may play just "one more round" of a game. The phone is easily accessible and ready to suck more of our time. It has lead to reduction in the "complex" social interaction that help us thrive as people.

Newport recommends we quit all "optional" online internet usage for one month. Anything that is not absolutely required should be stopped. Work email should probably still be checked. Facebook, probably not. After the month, any valuable activities can be added back in with a strict look at the goal and benefit provided. Other alternatives can be explored. Maybe it is better to read a physical newspaper. Perhaps calling a friend would be better than following facebook. Or maybe a short time window is allocated for social media. The solution is different for each person. Some people may even go to extreme of using a dumb phone. The goal is to get the benefits from new media without suffering the extreme costs.