Having the right intention when going online
I recently read Cal Newport’s book Digital Minimalism about cutting down on mindless digital consumption. It is a common theme for many, often written about here on Bear Blog as well, and the general advice is usually the same and we all know it already. Delete social media profiles, or at least remove the apps from your phone. Perhaps get a dumb phone instead of a smartphone, disable notifications and don’t have your phone physical with you at all times. In essence, the various advice in Newport’s book isn’t much different. And you don’t need to read a book to get these tips. They are all over the internet.
What made some difference for me, was that Newport put things into a broader perspective and helped me think and reflect more about these things beyond the usual step by step advices. Like how Apple’s initial vision for the iPhone wasn’t about having an app for everything or a device we would use to be constantly online with, but basically just an advanced iPod that could also text and make phone calls. None of the big tech companies planned for where we are now and neither did we as users. The original intent with social media was actually novel and something that was a tool that helped keep people connected with their friends. But when the algorithmic timeline replaced the linear one, the big tech companies realised how effective it was. How they could drive engagement with what is basically psychological manipulation with techniques from gambling, which in turn made advertising extremely profitable as billions of eyeballs spent more hours every day scrolling the infinite feeds.
The main point behind the digital minimalism approach is to get intent back in the equation. Today’s digital landscape is more and more controlled by big tech companies that are trying to remove agency and intent from us, and let their algorithms decide everything. The point here is that social media or your smartphones aren’t necessarily bad, and I know this sounds cliché, but you should control it - not the other way around. Most people will likely be able to just get the good parts of social media, like keeping up with friends that live far away or stay updated with what happens in their neighborhood, by checking in once a week for 15-20 minutes. Likewise, few of us really have a need to stay up to date with the news several times a day. Reading a morning or weekly newspaper would be plenty to stay informed, and likely better informed if it isn’t the fast unchecked and unreflected news, but more long form well researched journalism.
There is a growing positive trend where people are increasingly aware of and sceptical of how especially feed algorithms on social media is having a negative impact on us, but I also see some push back against the sort of “all or nothing”-approach where people delete all their profiles, get a dumb phone and all that. If it works great, but I must say some people who go that route can also become almost condescending in their “holier than thou” approach. I don’t believe the right lesson here is to see everyone else as mindless zombies that haven’t seen the light yet. Not the least because it can give false hope, as ditching social media and your smartphone won’t magically boost your social life or automatically give you enough free time to master the violin or whatever.
Ava says it well here:
When you put the phone down, no one is suddenly throwing themselves into your life and the relationships aren’t magically there or easier to attain and maintain; no guarantee that they’ll reciprocate and increase your time spent together. You won’t magically have the focus and energy for everything you’ve put off all this time by scrolling and watching instead. It’s obvious when written down, but easy to forget as you build up this ideal new self in your mind.
So back to Newport’s book on Digital Minimalism, as it didn’t have a massive foundational change on my life. Admittedly, I haven’t followed the whole philosophy from it either, but the main takeaway of getting intent behind being online has stuck with me. Going online needs to have a purpose beyond filling in 60 seconds of boredom with “content”.
In practice I have removed some apps on my phone and blocked some sites, that I can now only check on my computer. That alone has done a lot, and because old habits die hard, I still frequently pull out my phone only to do ... nothing, because I didn’t really need it. Was just trying to pass the time. That is probably the hardest bad habit to kill and I need to be better at putting the phone physical out of reach. The effects aren’t magical. I get a bit more reading done and I am getting more nights with sink zero than before. And of course, everything is a process. Finding the right mindset rather than looking for solutions.
It is all about having the right intention and being deliberate when using online services.