There has been an increase in social media platforms in the recent past. This is due to the increasing innovation and the technological advances experienced globally. The majority of the global population is becoming addicted to social media platforms such as; Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and even video games (Newport, 2019). Most of them become addicted to these applications involuntarily because they often download and create accounts for good reasons. Individuals should be guided by the digital minimalism philosophy when interacting with technology. According to Cal Newport, digital minimalism is the use of technology where individuals focus their online time on a few selected activities that support their values and miss out on anything else that is not important. Satisfaction, costs of the clutter, and optimization are some of the reasons why individuals should adopt digital minimalism.
Significant satisfaction is achieved when individuals intentionally engage in activities that support their values. Through the decisions on what technology to engage in and which not to engage in, individuals become more intentional in their involvement with the new technologies and critical issues (Newport, 2019). This creates satisfaction independent of the decisions that these individuals make in their daily activities. This is a meaningful aspect of an individual’s life, making digital minimalism applicable and practical.
The cost of cluttering time between several applications and engaging in various new technologies is high. First, these applications are not free; they are downloaded at a high cost. Secondly, the time spent paying attention to so many devices and applications creates a more significant proportion of the negative impact than the minor benefits accrued (Newport, 2019). Therefore, if individuals prioritize their online time for essential activities, they will reduce the costs significantly.
Through the perfect choices of technologies to engage in, individuals achieve optimization. According to Cal Newport, digital minimalist believes in adopting the best technology among the many that best support their values and accrues maximum benefits to their activities (Newport, 2019). Therefore, it is essential to carefully consider the maximum potential benefits that one is likely to achieve by adopting a given technology or application. If the technology of choice does not support your values, it could equally be unnecessary to engage in it.
The book ‘Reclaiming conversation’ by Sherry Turkle agrees with Cal Newport. According to Sherry Turkle, communication between individuals in the digital era has been reduced to simply connection. The consequences of technological advancements can be witnessed in homes, workplaces, and even in the political arena (Turkle, 2017). She claims that individuals have significantly diverted their attention to their phones and other gadgets despite the importance of the conversation at hand. In workplaces, for example, people retreat to their phone screens even when conversations at hand are essential in terms of the profitability and commitment of the organization (Turkle, 2017). She also argues how individuals see solitude and loneliness as an issue that technological connection should eliminate. In my view, the adoption of technology is neither bad nor good, but individuals should strike their limits when engaging with technology. Technology should not control what one does; instead, one should control how one interacts with it. If an engagement with a given technology creates adverse cost effects, it is not worth our attention.
References
Newport, C. (2019). Digital minimalism: Choosing a focused life in a noisy world. Penguin. Web.
Turkle, S. (2017). Reclaiming conversation: The power of talk in a digital age. Penguin. Web.