I recently re-read and finished Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport again. It actually informed how I wanted to spend Lent this year; that is to say, I got a lot of value on the second read-through, and feel like I had more actionable insights from the book.
As if reading my mind, some of the media I follow have also had interesting pieces about screentime, smartphone use, and how it’s affecting entire generations:
- Dating Apps Have Hit a Wall. Can They Turn Things Around? | The New York Times
- The title doesn’t do it much justice—basically, Gen Z is eschewing paid dating app subscriptions, realising that swipes and matches don’t translate to real-world value, not to mention realising that they can meet people organically through non-dating apps and real life.
- The Terrible Costs of a Phone-Based Childhood | The Atlantic
- This article was very, exhaustingly long—in fact, it’s a condensed version of a book. But it was very thoughtful, and broadly discussed how exposure to the internet influenced both Millennials and Gen Z in the last thirty years. I had to read this article in about four to five sittings, but I’ve saved it as its salient points were worth filing. I quite liked the section, ‘Four Norms to Break Four Traps’, in response to what the author identified as a systemic collective-action problem.
- Phones at School Are a Disaster | The Atlantic
- A shorter article by the same author as above—this one focusses on the school setting. This and the previous article piqued me, as a mom-to-be, but there is something to take away even for adults. For example, this article cited a study which found that the mere presence of your phone on your person, or near you, affects your cognitive capabilities. This then reminded me of a Calm Masterclass by Dr. Adam Alter, who uses the concept of propinquity with smartphone use, his thesis being that the closer your phone is to you, spatially, then the bigger its influence on you.
- (I would reactivate a trial of Calm from time to time, to listen again to a few choice masterclasses there that I really enjoyed, including the one I mentioned first: The Power of Rest by Dr. Alex Pang, whose book is also on my reading list; The 4 Pillars of Health by Dr. Rangan Chatterjee, whose book is also on my reading list; and Rethinking Depression by Dr. Steve Ilardi, who also has a book but it’s not on my reading list.)
- You Texted? I Hadn’t Noticed. “Do Not Disturb” Mode Is Helping People Set Boundaries With Their Phones | The New York Times
- Another great takeaway: ‘There’s an assumption that because we have our phones with us all the time, there is an entitlement to people’s time,’ the article quotes. I’ve hardened my boundaries over the years, in part learning from people who have done so, in that I no longer feel the need to immediately respond to someone’s message, or apologise for leaving someone on read or taking long to respond. Messaging is asynchronous.
- Cal Newport also covers this in Digital Minimalism—basically, for all your emails, messaging, and even phone calls, you can give yourself ‘office hours’ for when you would want to check in and get back to people, on your own terms.
If you’d like to read any of the articles above without needing to sign up, sign in, or start a trial, I’m happy to send you a gift link—just reach out.
I’m writing this on a Saturday, having enjoyed a productive morning posting a letter and a card to family members overseas (among other things—we were out at the mall already, so Ben and I shopped around for a good knife set to replace the one we have at home)—I hadn’t handwritten or posted a letter like this since… high school. It feels very quaint and old-fashioned, but also… it felt really good. Now that I have an idea how postage stamps work (not that I didn’t know before—I just didn’t want to make a mistake!), I might start sending more cards and letters to family and friends. It’s something that I probably would not have sat down and spent time on, had I not been on a social media pause. I like to think that my recent digital minimalism helped make time and space for this.
I’ve also been blogging regularly lately—it’s nice.