If you want detailed arguments, you can read the book. I could try to summarise the main points, but that wouldn’t be any fun. In short, Digital Minimalism is not only preaching to the choir I’m standing in the front row furiously doing jazz hands. I’ve seen the interviews with Tristan Harris-the ex-Googler dubbed “the closest thing Silicon Valley has to a conscience”-written about the various Facebook scandals, and coincidentally happened to be re-reading Thoreau, who features prominently throughout Cal’s book. Everyone is at least vaguely aware that too much screen time can be harmful, that tech companies are competing to strip-mine our attention, and using all sorts of creepy tricks to do so. While it didn’t have the same ‘wow’ factor as Deep Work, I’m not sure if my experience is representative.Ī lot of this stuff is already common knowledge, and I might be unusually obsessed with it.
I was nodding my head like a metronome all the way through. It contains detailed case studies, suggested strategies, an outline of a 30-day digital declutter, and all the careful caveats you might wish for.
Now the book is out publicly, and I’ve had enough time to digest it, I can report the following:ĭigital Minimalism makes a solid case for cutting down on technological distractions and enjoying the benefits of an offline life. I figured some of you would be interested, too. His writing has had a major impact on me, especially Deep Work, so I asked him for an advance copy. It’s not often that I’m excited enough about an upcoming book to mark the release date on my calendar, but Cal Newport is one of my favorite authors. This blog is at risk of becoming the last bastion.Īnd so, I need to read a book called Digital Minimalism like a depressed person needs a lecture on antinatalism. I do like Instagram, although I only post something once in a blue moon. Social media in particular is losing its appeal. I thought it would get easier over time, but it hasn’t. I’m uncomfortable sharing my life in public.
In a similar way, I have recurring fantasies of shutting down my social media profiles, deleting this website, and generally trying to erase my presence from the Internet. Maybe you hear a mischievous little voice in your head that whispers ‘jump!’ every time you walk across a bridge, or lean out over a balcony. And if thou gaze long into an abyss, the abyss will also gaze into thee. He who fights with monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster.
0 kommentar(er)
