Social Media

The Call to Simplify Our Digital Lives

A zero notification life

The internet has become endless. Our connection to it, all-consuming. When things get overwhelming, my first instinct is to—simplify.

The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak. – Hans Hofmann

But how do we simplify an enormous thing that is the Internet? Impossible, almost. Our behaviours moulded by the clever algorithms and habits formed that devalue thinking.

The explosion of social networks is enough to make one unsocial. Nevermind the news, blogs, magazines, shopping, games, videos, podcasts, music, fitness, cooking, forums, communities, learning, productivity, and actual work tools. Phew, and I’ve not even touched on the weird underground stuff.

All at our fingertips, fighting for attention in our limited time.

Look at Gary Vaynerchuk who built his career and net worth to multimillions by trading the single most valuable asset, your time. He knew to leverage attention, being the lifeblood of today’s digital economy. Then we have influencers, no longer in the domain of celebrity or world leader, but more likely your young neighbour in their loungeroom doing a silly dance.

Every minute given to one thing is a minute away from another—simple, right?

Not so.

When platforms are designed to tap into our behavioural patterns and anticipate our wants and needs, addictive behaviours can manifest. Your internet knows you deeper than some of your friends.

Self-regulation does not come easy to a portion of the population. With the attention economy being less than a decade old, there is not enough data to show lifelong effects.