Reflections on Digital Minimalism - Cal Newport.

Recently I finished the book Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport. It is my opinion, as well as apparently many other's, that this book is immensely valuable. Before my memory fails me and my mind goes on to store more mundane details about randomly consumed content, I will unload some of my thoughts prompted by this book in this digital space. 

Similar to Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less by Greg Mckewn, this book does not discuss tactics for bettering oneself only, it represents a revolution. Even though this claim sounds like an overstatement, in my opinion, it can not be more accurate. In this fast paced world we live in, where attention is fragmented between a multitude of things at a given moment, to stop and reflect, to ask about how something is affecting our life and the lives of people around us, and to face the honest answer and adjust, is an act of defiance.

Perhaps the most defining characteristic of the twenty first century is the digital revolution. Not just technological, but digital. I am not using the terms interchangeably here, although this might be a linguistic mistake on my part. I define technology as all human innovation that attempts automation, I define Digital as all that is not analogue. Digital innovations have played with human attention in unexpected ways. Humans, being quick and witty, have come up with ways to monetize human attention, that is, use the unexpected effects of digital innovation for profit, further tuning digital tools for constant novelty. This is not an argument for the evilness digital technology, we are who we are, and we will continue to make things work for us. 

The book also makes it very clear that this does not convey an attack on such tools. However, this status quo prompts a question, how to deal with effects of the digital age on our mental and physical health? How to play the attention game when we are interacting with the screen? The book discusses precisely how. It offers tactics, but not just that, it offers very compelling arguments for the need to adjust our relationship with the digital tools in our lives. I will now share a few ideas that this book explored which I find very interesting:

Conversation vs connection and conversation-centric-communication: 

Being constantly connected through various social media platforms promotes a lot of interaction between people. Those platforms, as a fact, enhance connection between people. "Connection enhancement" sound appealing however somehow it doesn't end up enhancing most people's sense of belonging or empathy. In this part of the book, Cal Newport refers to Sherry Tuckle's book Reclaiming Conversation. As he explains, she draws the distinction between connection and conversation, conversation is the true pillar of human social exchange, and it is different from mere connection by the opportunity it offers to respond to analogue cues offered by the other party. He then diverges from her book and presents a new philosophy which he called conversation-centric-communication: as he explains, it is the philosophy that mere connection should serve only to enhance conversation, and not as a replacement for it. In that way, connection can be very useful because it makes conversation easier. Conversation need not be face-to-face, a phone call where you can listen to someone's voice and the nuances offered by their tone is fine, as long as not all social cues are detached from interaction by only interacting through text. This distinction between connection and conversation is a very interesting idea, assessing which type of communication adds value to one's social and intellectual life is reclaiming a big part of one's own autonomy over their social life. 

The need for solitude: 

My favorite part of this book is the chapter where Cal Newport sets up the arguments for the importance of solitude. Solitude is not simply not being around other people. It is being in the company of your mind, a time when you are not consuming content. It follows that a walk doesn't qualify as solitary time if you are listening to an audiobook or a podcast. If you are watching YouTube videos or reading a book. Similarly, one can be around people but in a state of solitude. This chapter made me realize that it has been quite some time since I let my mind just be, without any consumption. The part I resonated with most is when he described the act of writing as an activity one can use when they need solitude. With your mind as company you are arranging and rearranging your thoughts through writing. He mentions prominent people and their practices and quotes about solitude. Like Henry David Thoreau and Benjamin Franklin. My favorite quote that is mentioned is by the poet and essayist May Sarton: 

"I am here alone for the first time in weeks, to take up my "real" life again at last. That is what is strange - that friends, even passionate love, are not my real life unless there is time alone in which to explore and to discover what is happening or has happened. Without the interruptions, nourishing and maddening, this life would become arid. Let I taste it fully only when I am alone ..." 

Resources the book offered: 

Two resources I found very nice, so I will leave them here. The first one is The Slow Media Manifesto and the second one is the Mouse Book Club.