Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World

Cal Newport | Penguin Random House, 2019, 304 pp., $28 | Reviewed by Mark Loughridge

I love technology, but have become increasingly aware of the double-edged nature of it. In a world of digital clutter—of information overload and multiple notifications—we are increasingly fragmented in our focus, hooked on the buzz of messages and validations, and pushed into a variety of reactions from outrage to anxiety.

We might think technology is neutral, but those who design many of our apps want us to use them in particular ways, for increasing periods of time, to make them money.

Paul’s adage of “everything is beneficial, but I will not be mastered by anything” (1 Cor. 6:12) is as necessary in Century 21 as it was in Century 1.

Cal Newport, a professor of computer science at Georgetown University, has written a useful book on keeping technology our servant. Digital Minimalism is a clear and helpful read. It unpacks why we have this problem, exposing the attention engineering that lies behind much of social media, and proposes a set of practical solutions.

Newport is no Luddite; he knows the benefits, but he also cares deeply about the impact the digital world is having on us if we are not thoughtfully engaging.

He writes, “We eagerly signed up for what Silicon Valley was selling, but soon realized that in do-ing so we were accidentally degrading our humanity.” Much of his advice comes from a desire to reverse that downgrade.

Digital Minimalism is different from the usual call to digital discipline and time limits. It’s about a different approach—about seeing and using technology differently. It’s actually about a world­view! Rather than a digital detox, he advocates a digital declutter. And only those things that add significant benefit (without major negatives) are to be reintroduced.

That sounds like “I will not be mastered by anything” to me.

He advocates filling our time with more useful, purposeful activities. Life isn’t to be mediated through a screen. Use reclaimed time to prioritize real interactions with people, creation, and craft, i.e. hands-on leisure work.

“We live in a world that is working to eliminate touch as one of our senses, to minimize the use of our hands to do things except poke at a screen.”

Although not written from a Christian perspective, there is much here that fits in with a Christian worldview: for example, his emphasis on people, work, and creation (Gen. 1 and 2), his practical advice on not being mastered by anything, and his valuing of redeeming time. (As an indication of quality—I have 116 passages highlighted, comprising over 3,500 words!) Clear, informative, and practical, it is a must read for every Christian with a smartphone or social media account.