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I'm embracing "digital minimalism" after noticing social media's impact on my mood, emotions, and relationships.
A thread on some key ideas and quotes gleaned from the book:
A thread on some key ideas and quotes gleaned from the book:
The psychological forces that lead us to compulsively use technology are typically best understood as moderate behavioral addictions.
To engineer compulsive behavioral addiction:
a) intermittent positive reinforcement and
b) drive for social approval.
To engineer compulsive behavioral addiction:
a) intermittent positive reinforcement and
b) drive for social approval.
The “attention economy” makes money gathering consumers’ attention and then repackaging and selling it to advertisers.
Social media directly profits off of cultivating behavioral addictions.
“Checking your ‘likes’ is the new smoking.”
Social media directly profits off of cultivating behavioral addictions.
“Checking your ‘likes’ is the new smoking.”
Eyeballs are the new oil:
“Extracting eyeball minutes, the key resource for companies like Google and Facebook, has become significantly more lucrative than extracting oil.”
“Extracting eyeball minutes, the key resource for companies like Google and Facebook, has become significantly more lucrative than extracting oil.”
We rationalize these behavioral addictions with a culture of "Techno-maximalism"
“The past couple of decades are also defined by a resurgent narrative of techno-maximalism that contends more is better when it comes to technology—more connections, more information, more options.”
“The past couple of decades are also defined by a resurgent narrative of techno-maximalism that contends more is better when it comes to technology—more connections, more information, more options.”
But...online and offline socializing is zero-sum:
“The key issue is that using social media tends to take people away from the real-world socializing that’s massively more valuable.”
“Social media makes you feel both connected and lonely, happy and sad.”
“The key issue is that using social media tends to take people away from the real-world socializing that’s massively more valuable.”
“Social media makes you feel both connected and lonely, happy and sad.”
We're more connected than ever, but having less and less conversations.
Conversation-centric communication "argues that conversation is the only form of interaction that in some sense counts toward maintaining a relationship."
Conversation-centric communication "argues that conversation is the only form of interaction that in some sense counts toward maintaining a relationship."
And the discussions on social media....are not very productive.
“Online discussion seems to accelerate people’s shift toward emotionally charged and draining extremes.”
“Online discussion seems to accelerate people’s shift toward emotionally charged and draining extremes.”
Embrace the Bennett Principle:
Expending more energy in your leisure can end up energizing you more.
“To escape the drain of low-value digital habits, it’s important to first put in place high-quality leisure activities.”
Expending more energy in your leisure can end up energizing you more.
“To escape the drain of low-value digital habits, it’s important to first put in place high-quality leisure activities.”
Live a life of "Digital Minimalism"
“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.”
“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.”
Rediscover solitude:
“We need solitude to thrive as human beings, and in recent years, without even realizing it, we’ve been systematically reducing this crucial ingredient from our lives. Simply put, humans are not wired to be constantly wired.”
“We need solitude to thrive as human beings, and in recent years, without even realizing it, we’ve been systematically reducing this crucial ingredient from our lives. Simply put, humans are not wired to be constantly wired.”
