A Mindful Use of Technology 

A MINDFUL USE OF TECHNOLOGY

Note: The below content is a cumulation of my own experience and an effort to guide anyone who wants to have a better relationship with technology. I am in no way an expert in the areas of ‘minimalism’ or ‘digital minimalism’. Please note that any book, app, website, youtube channel, method or person that are mentioned below have not paid me to endorse them. For the ones successfully make it to the end, a few videos and articles, which explore the adverse effects of technology on our society, have been mentioned.

Technology has influenced a major part of how we conduct our daily affairs. Its reach stretches from how we keep in touch with our loved ones to how we hail a cab to learning things on YouTube. We have even been able to work from the comfort of our own homes during this pandemic, all due to the power of technology. Hence, one cannot refute that technology has made our lives easier, but there has also been an increasing concern about its negative effects. The phrase, “With great power comes great responsibility”, must alert us to look into the adverse effects of technology and take action to curb them.

In the recent years, there have been increasing number of studies related to technology usage, which have concluded that the way our society (at least the major part of it) chooses to have use technology, has led to a host of mental health issues. Two aspects of these studies ring the alarm bells: The frightening level to which they have attracted – this addiction to technology is increasingly influencing them to stay at home, rather than go out and socialize. Many of them fail to understand that the real world outside their screens and if the trend continues, it poses a grave danger to humankind – the current generation of kids, adolescents and young adults. The drastic drop in attention span, which has affected the ability of a person to concentrate on mentally demanding tasks for extended hours – the current tasks, increasingly require us to concentrate for long hours in order to stay competitive the job market, but our ability to do so is on a downward trajectory.

When the industrial age began, we progressed exponentially but failed to foresee the environmental and health effects of this change we had adopted as a society. However, we eventually set ourselves on the path to building a sustainable relationship with industries. I believe, it is our time again to do so with a new companion, technology. But we might have to act much more swiftly in this scenario.

The concept of living mindfully, brought about a revolution by a select few, minimalism. Individuals who adopt this way of living, give prominence to purpose and intentionality, in different aspects of their life. Adopting this method to technology gives birth to ‘Digital minimalism’, which is an antidote to mindless technology consumption. Digital minimalism does not have a set of hard and fast rules that need to be followed. You go about making your own rules and restrictions, that are influenced by the constraints in your life while seeking the guidance of a general set of guidelines.

How do I become a digital minimalist?

Firstly, one mustn’t worry about the label ‘digital minimalist’. Reiterating what I said above, you must figure out how, why and by how much you want to improve your relationship with Technology and as it has been well known for centuries, no two relationships can be the same, which is why rather than comparing your approach with someone else’s, focus on what works best for you. With that out of the way, let’s dive into what steps I have taken, the resources that I have utilized and hope it helps you in your quest.

The book:

After trying to control my social media consumption, phone usage, binge-watching tv shows for roughly 6 years, I stumbled upon the book, Digital minimalism: Choosing a focused life in a noisy world by Dr Cal Newport, a computer science professor who has not had a social media account until now (seems a little ironic right?). The author addresses how the giant tech companies have succeeded in getting us hooked on their products, be it phones, websites or apps. He then goes on to explore the health issues – anxiety, depression, reduction in attention span, solitude deprivation – that people today face due to excessive technology use. Finally, there are also several examples presented to support the stance of the need for mindful technology consumption, the method to go about successfully adopting the digital minimalism life and examples of how many people have established the relationship they want with technology.

I recommend a reading of the book even if you are not serious about digital minimalism.

Personal note: This book made me realize that our parents were probably right to a great extent when they blamed excessive phone usage for the change in our behaviours or reduced academic performance.

The app:

Anyone reading this is aware of the powerful urge to glance at your phone at regular intervals. Be it to check a notification or to browse through the latest news or to check the time (probably never in the history have humans checked the time so often and for no good reason) or what about when you unlock the phone to just lock it again?

My statement might give the impression that I hate smartphones but in fact, it is a very important tool that I use every day and I intend to use to help me and yet not eat up my precious time. This is why I had to tailor my phone usage by restricting all apps and websites that sought my attention, every time I sat down to do something productive or just wanted some solitude. The solution I found was ‘freedom’, which is an app that you can use on your phone, P.C, tablet, etc. I have greatly benefitted from this app and slowly started to gain the ability to work for prolonged hours without distraction.

Miscellaneous:

Here is a list of things that I have also picked up on my journey:

• Keeping your digital screen on a grayscale mode discourages you to check your device frequently, as tech companies use color association that your brain makes to get you hooked on social media. For me personally, this also helps reduces the strain on my eyes as I am required to use a computer for the most part of the day and I use this setup on my phone and computers.
• Keeping your phone away (probably in another room) while working helps a lot.
• Turn off all notifications (almost all apps) and organize your apps on the phone and remove apps which you do not need.

Is this all there is to digital minimalism?

One can’t preach or live a minimal life by prescribing a complex set of rules, isn’t it? But the aforementioned book will guide to set down your own restrictions and the process might take a month or two. The important thing would be to not give up and if you value time, I am sure you will not.

How has digital minimalism changed my day?

My attachment to the smartphone has drastically reduced and the amount of time on social media has dropped drastically. In fact, I have even quit a few platforms. My conversations are mainly via a phone call or video call and texting is heavily restricted. The urge to check my phone slowly wanes with each passing day. I also catch up on the daily news via the morning paper or a few good articles at a set time of the day. By eliminating the constant bombardment of news, I have only increased the quality of information I receive and have reduced my anxiety level. The time that was spent on mindless technology use, is now dedicated to reading books and articles. I very much intend to accommodate more high-quality leisure into this time.  

A request to the reader:

Explore other sources (blogs, books, Youtuber channels) as well if you are not satisfied and please do feel free to share your experience with us. You might make it easier for another person on this journey.

Special thanks: This article is dedicated to my dad, for his 63rd birthday- A man who inspired me to think and be different.

Sources:

1. Freedom: https://freedom.to/
2. Why people are choosing to quit social media (https://youtu.be/ij_xXZAhJPs)
3. Have smartphones destroyed a generation? A thought provoking article  (https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2017/09/has-the-smartphone-destroyed-a-generation/534198/)
4. Digital minimalism: Choosing a focused life in a noisy world (https://www.calnewport.com/#booksSec)
5. Matt D’Avella: A minimalist who showcases his journey through minimalism (https://youtu.be/5nemvG_EzqY)
6. Ben Alagna: Minimalist phone setup (https://youtu.be/0XDy7veC_y0)
7. Bill Maher: A hilarious rant on social media (https://youtu.be/KDqoTDM7tio)

ARTICLE WRITTEN BY SANTHOSH BHONSLE

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