Book Review - Cal Newport "Digital Minimalism"

I review Cal Newport's "Digital Minimalism".
Video on How Social Media Trap You - • Why is Twitter so toxic?
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- Main Street Books (Minot, ND) - www.mainstreetbooksminot.com
- Zandbroz (Fargo, ND) - www.zandbroz.com/index.html

[@ChrisSaenz13]

I agree the numbers/analytics mean so little ... I measure my You Tube happiness & success by connections (as a creator and viewer) with people & also how much I can consciously learn (as a viewer)! I noticed some people turn off their subscriber numbers and I think that is a cool option I've been thinking about doing! The subscriber count isn't the best indicator of a happy community. Those numbers could make us feel disappointed or alternatively ... inflated in ego and out of touch with the important stuff! Sounds like a super interesting book! My brain is nearly permanently distracted naturally even without a cell phone!!!

[@WaskiSquirrel]

Good point! Why does KZbin need to display these metrics? And, of course, the reason is obvious: it's part of that addiction. Even as producers of content we can still be sucked into their profit-motive.

[@rinaeperron7746]

Good Discussion! I admit to 'addiction' 😞. Both Facebook and KZbin.. I like the easy way to find and connect with old school chums, and rekindle some of those lost friendships. I also enjoy the many, many groups related to specific hobbies/crafts/collections and 'information'. (I can usually ignore the drama that occasionally occurs in the well moderated groups). I have learned so much from the groups and people, and enjoy connecting physically and virtually with others that have shared interests! I need to be more conscience about how much I partake of all the 'opportunities'. I haven't found that balance... still a work in progress... Thanks for sharing the book!

[@WaskiSquirrel]

Glad to hear you appreciate the book! And you do bring some real benefits to social media. Our shared interest in fountain pens is a great example of this. We would never have encountered each other without social media. And good point on drama: it shows up any time people interact. Thank you!

[@sajjadhusain4146]

I enjoyed this a lot. It’s an issue I have personally wrestled with recently. Ever since the pandemic began, I realize I’ve probably spent more time on social media than I’m accustomed to doing. Mainly on KZbin, though, watching various videos, interviews, podcasts, concerts, and the news. I’m currently striving to slash my daily screen time by a lot. No TV set at home certainly helps me stay sane. But I must ensure that my iPhone doesn’t become a substitute distraction and addiction. Maybe it already has. Time to restore the balance of old. Never been on Facebook; it seems like a tiresome bore to me. I was briefly on Twitter before getting suspended without warning for reasons that remain unknown to me to this day. I like Instagram for the myriad lovely photos of picturesque places (and interesting products I’m interested in). But I couldn’t care less about scrolling through filtered photos of people showing off just how glamorous they and their lives supposedly are and how much fun they are ostensibly having. Makes me nauseous. I’m not signed up to any other social media platform. Btw, TikTok is moronic, at best, and at worst, an abomination. Comments sections are often toxic places (and time-sucking black holes) where I stopped venturing, except on KZbin channels dealing with my hobbies. I certainly always write mile-long comments on your videos. 😀 I love my alone time. Solitude, space, silence and peace. I have so much to do every day during my leisure hours that has actually helped me avoid being enslaved to devices and excessive social media consumption over the years. I still read, write, exercise, cook, listen to music etc..a lot every day that consume all my free time away from work. Your comment about instances of people being more focused on their phones while in company reminded me of something. I have occasionally simply and abruptly walked away from places and situations where the person(s) I was with seemed to be more preoccupied staring at their phones or the television set than properly talking or listening to me with sufficient attention and eye contact. I’ve always had a certain contempt for that kind of thing. At age 46, I have zero time for it today. I liked the background around where you stood and talked. Love the sight of wide open spaces, trees and sunshine in the summer. I took an imaginary stroll while still listening to you all along.

[@WaskiSquirrel]

The pandemic did that to a lot of us. And you bring up a good point about curation. You didn't use the word, but you implied it. We can choose what we consume. KZbin and Instagram are great for this: we choose what we view there. I too am not interested in glamour shots. But people like Adventure Denali show awesome photographs of the Arizona desert! And another person shows photos of rural Arkansas. I never even considered that the state might be beautiful. I'm on the fence with Facebook. It's a visit once every week or two. But I also just recently used it to arrange a meetup with some old friends while I travel through places I used to live. Of course, I could have done that in other ways. And, yes, comments can be absolutely toxic. But the fountain pen world seems pretty good. I enjoy my interactions here and on other fountain pen channels. Maybe if I had a politics channel.... I filmed this in my front yard. I rotated 45 degrees west from my Parker Duofold video. We have no shortage of wide-open space here. During my walk to work, I can see the buttes around the "city" of Rhame, about 10 miles away. One thing I would about North Dakota is the wide-open view!

[@bdm4504]

I'm convinced -- I'll check out Mr. Newport. When you mention the "addiction" of digital media I am reminded of the psychologists who have noted that cell phones are little reinforcer dispensers, that is, hand-held "Skinner boxes." Hard for teachers to compete with such rich sources of reinforcement. By the way, to look important, try the politician's trick: point and wave, even if no one is around! ;-)

[@WaskiSquirrel]

That's a great description of cell phones! And, yes, hard to compete. OK, I'll remember that! I guess in my town of 1500 people I'm a celebrity: I teach their kids!

[@alanpareis734]

You predicted correctly last time about my possible interest in this book. Thanks for this great review. I will pick up a copy of this -hopefully digital for Kindle lol. Plan to read it immediately after finishing up Al Gore’s “The Assault on Reason. Published in 2007 just before iPhone came out and changed the world, “Assault” deals with similar issues that Cal Newport raises, only Re: Television. Love the tree, I think front yard, and your interaction with drivers and neighbors .

[@WaskiSquirrel]

I filmed this at a busy time! I wrote down Al Gore's book for future reading: it does sound interesting. Of course, as you point out, he was writing it for a very different world.

[@jerry550]

I think you hit the nail on the head when you said social media is a distraction from your own thoughts. Regardless of the medium, don’t you think the addiction is the diversion? P. S. The iPhone mic is surprisingly good and excellent at maintaining a consistent level no matter where you hold it.

[@WaskiSquirrel]

The addiction is definitely the diversion. They want us mindlessly scrolling, not thinking. And, yes, this iPhone does great as a microphone. The only time I have trouble is if I hold it upside down. For some reason that makes a difference.

[@jerry550]

@@WaskiSquirrel If you use it as a microphone, doesn't that mean you must hold it upside down? Wind noise seems to be the only problem, not in your video here though. Maybe they can come up with a tiny wind screen. KZbin is actually worse than endless scrolling, they autoplay relevant videos. Local is always more interesting than distant. "Nuclear bomb destroys Fargo, but first the Lions Club sends local children to summer camp."

[@WaskiSquirrel]

@@jerry550 Wind has been a problem in some of my videos (see my Q&A that destroyed a camera as a bonus). But it's surprisingly easy to shelter the cellphone from wind. You do know that you can turn autoplay off?

[@paulherman5822]

I did Facebook in the past. Not anymore. KZbin, with the fountain pen and related things is basically it, now. I got frankly sickened by the drama, negative behaviour and vapid posts from those who took talking in a random stream of consciousness to typing the same things on social media. I've always been a paper book type (when I first was approached by a guy in Barnes and Noble trying to sell me a Nook, I asked if they smelled like paper. 😁) When I was on Facebook, I was also struggling with loneliness and isolation. There's a big difference between solitude and isolation. I'm now comfortable with being solitary, plus I do like the company of others more, now. Took about a year of therapy and getting detached from the negative environment I'd been in for decades. Digital addiction becomes worrisome when you have difficulty doing things without it, or even being on, continuously, for 2+ hours... Looks like I need to look into the book you reviewed. Sounds like a lot of the things that I've learned, and I may learn more from it. Thanks for sharing this!

[@WaskiSquirrel]

Yeah, Facebook is usually uninteresting...though I just used it to contact some friends from where I used to live (I'll be in their town). But, yes, mostly not useful stuff. You make a good point about solitude vs. isolation. I like my alone time as much as I like my time with friends. I like to choose which one. And, yes, people really can get sucked into social media. I'll confess I spend far too much time on KZbin, but I've found scheduling it helps me a lot.

[@nicksg3002]

Me too! I guess the excitement of watching posts of pens,etc made me log into all types of social media but the fun ended with the dramas, Unnecessary comments, etc plus my last drop, that I couldn't get rif off constant hackers. Is annoying! So yes only youtube for me too! By the way, what a cute puppy looking through the circle with your name! I have 2 yorkies, 14 years old each and even they were attacked in facebook 🤨 so now I feel better not being exposed. Please take care 👍🖋

[@paulherman5822]

@@nicksg3002 She's Aednat, a (b)rat terrier. 15 years old, acts about 3. 😁 Drama was a big reason I changed a lot in my life. I'm from a fundamentalist background, which seems to dislike almost everyone not exactly like themselves, so that had to go. Too much drama and negativity. And it is also one reason I avoid most social media, now. My family (and it seems like mainly the older ones--35+--so younger than me, at the lower end 😁) seems to haunt Facebook for any sort of communication. I get few texts outside of one nephew, and even less phone calls. So, I write to them, even if they don't respond (I've even had one returned, marked "wrong address" when I was certain that I had the correct address...) Basically because I avoid Facebook. I got over it. 😁

[@nicksg3002]

@@paulherman5822 Humans right? We're complicated and more in media. That's why our dogs teach us to better behave. Right Aednat? Keep having fun like 3 of you! Daddy will always forgive🤣🤪

[@paulherman5822]

@@nicksg3002 In my apartment, she's starting to become a lap dog. Outside, she's still the active, get all the sniffies possible, get into everything hunting dog that followed my sister home 12 years ago. Sometimes, she's better than most people. And I also admit, I have a high tolerance with her. Even when she tries to slip her harness and escape... 😉

[@sathishrao7926]

There’re reports that Social media addiction leads to depression too.. I quit Social Media ( Facebook ) when that classmate of mine shared his pic with a flashy new car after being promoted to Director of Engineering when I’m still a Principal Engineer 😞

[@WaskiSquirrel]

I can understand that. If I were to compare myself to my classmates, there are definitely some that would make me feel inferior. And good point about the depression: social media really does give a warped perception of people's lives.

[@stampinsan]

Thanks, Jason. Couldn’t agree with you more. I find myself not really caring about Facebook any more, and many of my friends don’t post much any more either. I’m 68, have been an Apple geek since the launch of the Mac Book Plus! I couldn’t wait until a Device would come out that would hold all of my contacts, music, calendar, and phone on ONE device. It now connects me to my family for the most part. My interest in TWITTER has waited. I still enjoy Instagram and KZbin. My distraction is jigsaw puzzle online and another mindless puzzle game while watching/listening to TV. I also relate to you when you mentioned people that find TV more interesting than you when you are visiting them - that was my mom. The one thing I appreciate is having the ability to press record on any show if someone is visiting. Thanks for your thoughts. I will definitely check out this book!

[@WaskiSquirrel]

I think Facebook is on the way out, like the MySpace it replaced. I've always liked Apple, but never bought their newest and greatest. But I do like having my information on one device. It's inconvenient that where I work is Windows based. Yes, the ability to record a show was great: I used to love the 1980s TV show War of the Worlds. It came on too late, but I could record it on the VCR. Now, I appreciate being able to watch shows days or even weeks later!

[@pamelaboxall7015]

My eldest sister gave up her television set more than thirty years ago, and has never regretted it. But the downside is that if she visits anyone and the television is on, she is rooted to it - it's such a novelty! She does have DVDs which she plays on her laptop and she does partake in KZbin and other social media. It doesn't bother me if people are not paying me their entire attention when I visit (grew up the youngest of four children - I know all about being ignored); they usually pay attention when I come up with something interesting to talk about.

[@stampinsan]

@@pamelaboxall7015 Interesting. My sister did the same. She had a VCR for movies and never followed social media at all.

[@pamelaboxall7015]

@@stampinsan It's not a simple choice here in the UK because if you don't buy your annual TV license you have to prove you aren't using a TV to view any output from the BBC. You can be inspected to make sure that you don't have a set which could be used incorrectly. In view of that, it's best not to have a TV at all and use your computer for DVD-watching if that's your jam. My sister had multiple visits from the "TV Detector van" and happily proved to them that she did, in fact, have no television set in the house.

[@stampinsan]

@@WaskiSquirrel Agreed! I very much appreciate being able to schedule recordings and watch anytime I please! I too had Windows based computers when I worked for the school district. One of my best buddies was the Network Administrator! Haha! But I have to say I did appreciate Microsoft Office Suite and did NOT appreciate the Google products. I don’t currently have Microsoft Office and am trying to make the Apple products work!! I drifted off topic!! LOL

[@fountainpencollection8337]

Well i like just youtube with fountai pens , tools and restoration of different stuff and that it is !

[@WaskiSquirrel]

KZbin definitely has some very real value. I've learned about pens, home repair, and a lot more from it. I think the challenge is putting it in its proper place.

[@Johan-vk5yd]

Temperance is the greatest challenge. ”För litet och för mycket skämmer allt”. (Too little or too much can spoil anything”.

[@WaskiSquirrel]

Good point! That's why I like that he called his book "Digital Minimalism". It's not about getting rid of social media, it's about finding out what social media actually adds value to our lives.

[@matthewbeddow3278]

Hi Jason, thanks for the video. I agree about mobile phones, I have had one since the late '80s early 90's which were supplied by my employer, they weighed a quarter of a ton where the size of a house brick and all they did was allow you to contact people while you were mobile. Every year we would have an upgrade and they slowly progressed to smaller less heavy devices which did have very basic games on them and you could send a text. Eventually, they became what they are today which is more of a communication and entertainment device, now you can get your emails on them search the internet and access social media, it is amazing the power of these miniature computers. Social media is addictive like you said one thing we have always done as a family (before Covid) was that at family meals such as Christmas etc phones are silenced and not looked at until after the meal, this encourages conversation instead of everyone looking at their phones. Take care, my friend.

[@WaskiSquirrel]

To be fair, I bought one 3 years ago. It has been handy, especially when I travel. But I really don't get how people become addicted to them. I like your rule about phones! Nothing worse than sitting there like a third wheel while the person you're with is busy on their phone!

[@matthewbeddow3278]

@@WaskiSquirrel yeah I remember you getting a cell phone. It should be mandatory in restaurants to leave your phone with the guy who takes your jacket or at least ban them from use. My kids are always on theirs well they are not kids anymore but you know what I mean, different generation I guess.

[@TGVScribe]

Whenever the topic of social media (with which I have a love-hate relationship that is similar to yours, it sounds like) comes up, I think of the film “Wall-E” and the first episode of “Black Mirror” Season 3, “Nosedive.” Pretty good reflections of how disturbingly addictive and sometimes soul-destroying the use of social media can become…. Sad how the message of those social commentary pieces seem to be ignored, though.

[@WaskiSquirrel]

I need to watch both of these! But you are right that social media can be very soul-destroying.

[@nicksg3002]

Last year, there was a blackout in my neighborhood. Very happy we did because we had to put down all tech, focus on us (be present). I want to ask you about "shyness" to talk to someone in person versus express better writing or texting our feelings. In Nevada, we have an App "SafeVoice" to help students, parents letting know by text and photos to authorities about a bullying or else situation. It works! and is an efficient way instead of walk into a police station or even talk to the Principal and leave empty handed because nobody wants to help. (It happened to me so, I go by experience and facts. I prooved a bully was hitting my son). I think is a matter of All Extremes are Bad. I want to Thank You, your dedication to invite us to think, reflect and enjoy life is deeply appreciated.

[@WaskiSquirrel]

Good point on "SafeVoice". We don't have anything like that here, but we have some digital tools at the school for reporting situations. This should be more statewide. You do make a good point about shyness. Sometimes kids are scared to talk to an authority figure about a problem. I don't want to get into the details, but I recall a situation I experienced when I was 14.

[@penlist2147]

Nice video i like books review too

[@WaskiSquirrel]

Glad to hear that! I want to do one book per week. As a bonus, it encourages me to read!

[@pamelaboxall7015]

Great video and review. I think if you have the time and the willpower, you can somewhat lessen the addictive nature of at least some social media platforms and I there are things which occasional content creaters do which can be very helpful. I'll cite an example - Penultimate Dave has a blog where he posts every video he makes (I'm not sure how he does this and whether he loses out in any way, but it's jolly useful). You can choose to open the videos in KZbin, or view in situ and if you choose the latter you can avoid being on KZbin and scrolling through videos of cats, but still get to see the content that pleases you. Although, from personal experience, I can say disliking cats and refusing to look at any videos which feature them is much more of a time-saver!

[@WaskiSquirrel]

Good point on Penultimate Dave. Yes, putting videos on a blog helps a lot. And I appreciate KZbin as a resource, not just as a source of distraction. I'm looking at a smooth wall right now that was once a door (my bedroom had two doors into it from the living room). I learned how to make that wall from KZbin. Actually, the photograph hanging where that door was actually was created thanks to pointers from some photographers on KZbin. For me, the ability to subscribe to channels on KZbin really helps me. I get to choose which videos from a curated collection that I actually want to watch. My house is silent right now because I've run out of those videos.

[@archivist17]

There are a lot of issues with social media, especially for young people. But it's all too easy to swing entirely the other way into some kind of digital Puritanism, where virtue is measured by how well you have eschewed the net. I remember Tue same arguments about the internet as a whole, which just seem ridiculous now. There isn't a day goes by without my consulting Wikipedia, which has settled down to a pretty reliable source of most information. And I met my current partner - as well as my previous one, for that matter - through internet forums (not dating ones). IRL I am somewhat taciturn, but on fora and social media, I am better able to talk, and develop friendships. Naturally, most 'friends' on Facebook aren't what I would really call friends, but we do have things in common. The sneering meme of the group at the table all looking into their phones is ridiculous. In fact, they are communicating more widely than they possibly could by talking to each other, and including other friends in the occasion. My best friends live in Birmingham, Scotland, and London. By US roadtrip standards not far away, but fat enough I don't get to see them much at all. But we can now keep in touch without having to worry about the cost of calls or of travel. I used to have Radio 4 on all the time - day and night - and I heard a lot of interesting content. These days, I tend to choose my listening (mostly from R4 and R4Extra), and intersperse it with watching KZbin and Vimeo content. As a result, I have a much more curated experience, widening my knowledge, awareness, and circle of friends. I will reduce my engagement with social media once more when I am back in work, but, for now, I shall enjoy learning, questioning, jesting and discussing. Without social media, a lot of people would have found the past sixteen months incredibly - in some cases literally intolerably - hard, and I am grateful for a way to access otherwise forgotten news, to contact prominent figures directly, and to fight for freedom internationally.

[@WaskiSquirrel]

Cal Newport agrees with you: he isn't advocating digital Puritanism. He called his book "Digital Minimalism". Find the tools that actually benefit you. I get a financial benefit from KZbin (it has really helped fund my fountain pen collecting). And I too find Wikipedia a useful source. I've never been into dating, but I do get that. I haven't seen the meme you're talking about, but, speaking personally, it is hard to be out with someone who is constantly on their phone. I do like keeping in touch with friends on Facebook. In fact, I'm using it right now to arrange a meet-up with several of them because I'm taking a bit of a road trip next week. As for radio: I listen to NPR. I've tried talk radio, but it is so political and obviously biased that I can't take much of it, even if it's my politics. That's why I really like your use of the word "curated". I can choose the content I consume much more easily now. And, yes, social definitely helped us all out during this pandemic!