Instead of swearing off of Instagram just because, Newport says you should follow a philosophy.īecause if you tie your philosophy to your values, it’s easier to see why you should change certain behaviors if they don’t align. Follow a Philosophyĭigital Minimalism: A philosophy of technology use in which you focus your online time on a small number of carefully selected and optimized activities that strongly support things you value, and then happily miss out on everything else.īy arguing technology use requires a philosophy, Newport is at odds with the majority of tech writers-who he uses as examples-who treat social media and tech usage as something to hack. social media is a crappy substitute for actual friendship, which Newport defines (with research to back him up) as a bond fostered through real, human interaction (including phone calls, but not text messages). Which means, you end up with a fragmented, unsatisfied life.Īnd p.s. No mental space = limited creativity and minimal deep thinking.Ī lack of deep thinking = limited personal growth Our phones and apps are, by design, addictive attention-suckers.Īnxiety and social media use go hand-in-hand.īy filling our in-between time, like commutes or in conversation pauses, or while waiting in line at the store, with burying our faces in our phones, we lose the ability to be alone with our thoughts. The gist, which you won’t find surprising if you read The New York Times or any other major publication, is that: That said, I enjoyed the reminder to be wary of technology, and the additional research and philosophy Digital Minimalism provided. I simply have followed this beat for too long. As someone who teeters on the cusp of chucking technology out the window and retreating to the woods to live like Anne LaBastille, I didn’t find many fresh takes in Cal Newport’s writing.

Books on digital minimalism