In 2017, I took a step back from screens. A decade of compulsive screen use had left me exhausted and empty. Out went social media, in came a dumb phone, and soon after, reading, music, and moments of solitude. A world with less screen time glowed brighter but it also became harder to navigate, and so after a year, I switched back to a smartphone.
Seeking Attention Tech
I was left wondering, were my only options, feast or famine? Could I make a life using technology without succumbing to it? Specifically, I was interested in experimenting with different technologies and learning which features neutralize our screen's ability to capture us while preserving their functionality. I have some guesses but I’m often wrong so I created this blog as a study tool for my investigation. I hope it encourages me to experiment and to take stances that can be questioned and honed.
Why less screen time? A: Solitude
Most of us suspect we would benefit from less screen time, few of us can explain why. Yes we can reallocate our time to new pursuits, but not every moment should be allocated. I have a (untested) theory that what most of us need is more nothing. Nothing is a great thing. It holds space that our minds can fill with conscious and subconscious thought. A meditator practices returning to nothing to strengthen their conscious mind. A daydreamer lets their subconscious direct them towards reflection, processing, and imaginative problem solving. A less coy word for nothing is solitude. Solitude is the time when your mind is not under the influence of other minds. Technology has made us uncomfortable with solitude. We stamp it out and because we're stamping out nothing, we have a hard time accounting for what was lost. We're social creatures though, don't we also need connection? Absolutely, in fact we are at our best when solitude and connection can work together. Consider a relationship. We disagree; we process the disagreement and emotions they spawn in solitude; we turn to a trusted partner to validate and correct our perceptions; we resolve the disagreement together. Or consider knowledge work. Someone explains a problem; we imagine creative solutions in solitude; we seek feedback from a colleague; we present a solution. Lots of people manage to have healthy relationships and do great work while heavily using screens but I suspect all of us who do are selling ourselves short. With less screen time and more nothing we could live happier and more productive lives.
Why any screen time? A: Connection/Necessity
So why am I seeking a balance with technology if it denies us solitude and all the good that comes with it? Why don’t we toss out our smartphones, cut the internet cable, and read by the fire each night? Mostly, because I buy the digital minimalist argument that technology’s utility is divisible from its harm. Technology has utility. It can help my friends and I coordinate and purchase tickets in the spur of the moment to see a concert, giving us a powerful shared experience. But technology also invites harm. We may diminish the concert experience by giving our attention to advertising our rad lives on social media. However, if we change our devices and ourselves then we can minimize these harms without sacrificing the bulk of the utility. Digital minimalism often takes the consumer’s perspective but that need not always be the case, it is worth asking as well whether we can design better devices from the start.
I’ve also come to think that abstaining from technology is simply not practical for most people. Sure, it’s possible to leave knowledge work and become a craftsman, but there’s only so much demand for historically accurate swords. And sure, it’s possible to only read books for the rest of our lives, but movies, television, and even video games offer an effortless path to deeply felt emotions that most people, including me, don’t want to live without. The reality is that most people will continue to live and work highly connected lives and so finding balancing techniques offers to do the most good. Thich Naht Han, who is known for making the case for mindfulness to the West, would probably encourage us to go farther and give up media and daydreaming all together. He said “when you wash the dishes, washing the dishes must be the most important thing in the world”. Not only is that a tall ask, but I’m not sure it's the path to human flourishing. I suspect most people will find a life without media just as empty as a life with too much media. And if we deny the subconscious mind an opportunity to process our experiences we may deny ourselves useful insights. My recommendation would be to find solitude where it comes easiest to you. That’s more likely to be on a walk than while washing the dishes. If you’re like me and want something to entertain you during chores try an audiobook instead of TV (more on why in the Downshifting Tech section).
My Goals (and Yours?)
Solitude, connection, utility, necessity. These are my reasons for wanting to neutralize my screen's ability to capture me while preserving their functionality . Your reasons may vary but as long as you are seeking some kind of balance I think you'll find the ideas in this blog interesting. I encourage you to explore your goals and reflect on how the strategies I discuss apply or don’t. And I'm very interested in hearing goals that are different from my own. Perhaps, for instance, you see value in the connection of social media and want to carve out space for its use in your life without succumbing to overuse. Part of the reason continuing to use social media isn't one of my goals is because I'm not sure I could resist the pull to overconsume it. If we find and share solutions, however, we can open up new possibilities for each other. Looking forward to it!