If you are yet to check out the previous blog entry, I’ll suggest you start from there. Today’s entry is more like a sequel to that post and the second part of a 3-part series.
A quick recap…
We have increasingly placed more value on virtual “likes and comments” at the expense of real-life connections. The danger of this trade-off is in many folds.
In part 1 of the series, we attempted to discuss some of the concealed side effects of ubiquitous connectivity on humanity as we know it. These negative consequences are often veiled by the bliss of the limitless possibilities presented to us by technology and the internet. Well, as much as we cannot deny the benefits of this innovation, we cannot also ignore its cons.
We were only able to address a minute fraction of the lot, as the list can get really long really fast. Other consequences such as the infringement of these platforms on users’ privacy and the little or no regulation of accessible content also raise concerns over the role of the digital space in societal decadence.
In today’s installment, our discussion will be focused on the necessity of paying more attention to the interference of the digital space in our everyday lives. For clarity’s sake, this series is in no way intended to undermine the role of digitalization in advancing civilization. It is rather aimed at highlighting the importance of maintaining autonomy over our interactions with this technology. How can we ensure that we are in control of our relationship with our devices and not the other way round?
Well, one phenomenon that seeks to address this issue is the concept of Digital Minimalism.
What is Digital Minimalism?
For proper insight into this concept, permit me to quote Cal Newport’s definition from his book “Digital Minimalism”. He defined it thus:
“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.”
“Digital Minimalism” by Cal Newport
I believe his definition does justice to all the components of being a digital minimalist. Simply put, digital minimalists decide what online space to engage and knows why exactly they are on there. They also optimize their usage of the selected platforms. This is to avoid being trapped in the excesses of all the features available on these platforms.
The next important question is “Why should we become digital minimalists?”… Once again, we turn to Cal for answers. In his book, he discussed what he called “The Principles of Digital Minimalism”. These principles form the underlying notion, on which one can consider adopting the way of the digital minimalist.
Cal is a facts guy, and he generously backed up each principle with sufficient facts. But I’m going to spare you all of it and just highlight the principles themselves. If you want to explore more of the topic, you can check out his book here.
Principle #1: Clutter is Costly
There’s a saying, “the more, the merrier”. Well, that isn’t always the case, and certainly not with the digital space. When I got my first android device back in 2014, I went on a spree and downloaded as many apps that caught my fancy and as much as my phone could carry. From games to social media apps, to other random apps I came across. Coming from a simple Nokia C1 (with the buttons and all), I was enthralled by the capabilities of my new device and I was eager to explore it to the max.
It was fun at first, but I soon realized that my hyper-engagement with all these apps came at a cost. The primary cost for me was the trade-off of substantial time in a bid to keep up with all the different things these apps offered. My original thought while gathering them was that, with all those apps at my disposal, I would never be bored. Well, that goal was somewhat achieved. But because it wasn’t regulated, the clutter went beyond keeping boredom away and soon started affecting other important things.
The notifications and obligations from my many apps kept me busy for most of the day. I would spend hours shuttling between them to “keep things going”. As a result, my productivity was greatly affected. And I also learnt that I need a little bit of “boredom” from time to time to operate optimally.
Principle #2: Optimization is Important
If you agree to the first principle, then you definitely would agree to this as well.
Knowing that clutter is costly helps you strip things down to the necessary services that support your values and actually have a role to play in your day-to-day activities. However, it is necessary to optimize our usage of the selected software. The first principle helps us decide what apps to keep around, and the second principle helps us define how we use them.
As a photographer, Instagram is a very useful tool for my workflow. I display my work there and sometimes get clients from the platform. But it would not be in my best interest to spend hours scrolling through the explore page. So how do I reconcile my need for the platform and the distraction that comes with it?
This is where optimization comes in. This could mean having a specific time window when you use certain software or disabling features that are not relevant to your values where possible. And this leads to the third principle…
Principle #3: Intentionality is Satisfying
This principle is more psychological than practical. It addresses the human desire to be in control of his environment and not being controlled by it. Knowing that you are in control of your engagement with the digital space as opposed to being subject to every notification or ping has a way of inducing some form of fulfillment. This satisfaction is independent of the specific actions taken.
Another reason why intentionality is paramount is that the Silicon Valley giants running the digital space have learnt to capitalize on our attachment to their products. They have slowly evolved into an attention economy, and the users are becoming the products. They continually introduce flashy features on these platforms so we spend more time on them and in turn bring in more revenue to their purses. Not to mention the aggressive advertising shoved to us while exploring these services.
To maintain autonomy over our attention and time management, it is necessary to be intentional in our engagement with the digital space.
A Philosophy, Not An Action
I’d like to refer back to Cal’s definition of Digital Minimalism as I believe it is necessary to place some emphasis on what it entails. It is worthy of note is the fact that digital minimalism is a philosophy, a mindset. Minimalism as a concept is widely understood as simply stripping things in an attempt to live with less. It is way beyond that. Being a minimalist starts with reprogramming your mind to see that less is truly more. Then this new mindset goes on to influence your lifestyle and your interaction with your environment.
So in the context of the digital space, being a minimalist would first require you to come to terms with the fact that you don’t need to be constantly connected to thrive in the current information-driven society. It requires calibrating your mind to understand that you can carefully choose what to spend your “online time” on, and when to engage in these interactions, as opposed to jumping on every new platform in the space, automatically clicking on every notification on your screen without giving thoughts to your actions.
Skipping the mindset part and simply stripping off these apps/digital services is not sustainable. If the ideology and necessity of digital minimalism aren’t established beforehand, we begin to feel their absence as our minds believe we need all of it to get by. This void eventually leads us to accumulate a new set of clutter, and the cycle continues.
What Next?
We have discussed the “why” and the “what” of digital minimalism. The third and final part of the series will seek to address the “how”. What practical implementations can we put in place to help regulate our engagement with the digital space? These practical steps will help us clear clutter, optimize, as well as be intentional users of digital technology.
I’m pleased with your resolutions on the subject matter
I was once alarmed at the little time I had left for important stuff and I resolved to the first principle.. getting rid of the clutter..it worked beautifully.
Howbeit, being disciplined to the few I counted important seems impossible.
I guess I’ll make good use of the second principle “This could mean having a specific time window when you use certain software or disabling features that are not relevant to your values where possible.” Thank you. I look for to the “how”