Book Review of Digital Minimalism
Book Review of Digital Minimalism by Peter Schutte I just finished reading Cal Newport's, ‘Digital Minimalism’ and I wanted to record my thoughts while they are still fresh in my head. So here it goes ... The book is a succinct and well researched piece of writing that takes a critical look at the way in which modern society uses digital communication tools. Its central point is that in the age of the attention economy, where smartphones act as modern day billboards and multinational IT firms have massive incentives for us to continue to increase our usage. We need to think more critically about how we use these new communication tools and the roles we allow them to play in our lives. A particularly illuminating thought that comes across, is the conceptualisation of a point at which more digital communication means less high quality and productive human life. A useful analogue with the economic principle of diminishing marginal returns is also drawn. As well as the related questi...
