Update on Digital Minimalism

In rereading my last post, I’m realizing that I have accomplished….the opposite. I’m following more people on more online accounts, have subscribed to more services, have more things to do, podcasts to listen to and books to read. I still feel like I’m not getting enough done. This is difficult because I love having the opportunity to listen and talk to a diverse set of people. Especially in our quarantined states, Twitter is where I get not only my information and news, but also my entertainment and sense of community. While I may be able to not check certain apps for long periods of time, I still feel that sense of information overload. I’m still subscribed to more podcasts than I’ll ever listen to, trying to finish far too many books, halfway through way too many tv shows, and browsing online aimlessly instead of accomplishing anything on my to do list.

What are my options here? Archive and close the accounts entirely? I did that when I deactivated my Facebook Profile and am generally happy with that decision. While it was difficult for a long period of time to avoid the temptation of my news feed, I don’t miss the experience and I don’t think I’ve lost too much in terms of my social life. I still use messenger, and while I miss events and occasionally groups, I feel more freedom to explore outside of Facebook. However, I maintain friendships through Instagram and Snapchat, and meet new people on Twitter. LinkedIN is needed for professional networking, and tiktok for entertainment (I am technically Gen Z).

All of these problems have been exasperated by the current pandemic. Without the ability to go see my friends in person for long periods of time, something that will only get worse as winter arrives, my social life is now entirely online. Video calls abound, parties are held in Animal Crossing, and forgetting to text someone back means that I may not hear from that person again for months. In this time, even while I slowly reduce the amount of time I spend aimlessly browsing by communicating directly through comments or messages or phone calls, I find myself putting my phone on Do Not Disturb all weekend.

I don’t think the answer is all or nothing, and I don’t think there’s any sort of final solution. As time passes, my interests and schedule changes means that the media I consume and the interactions I have online change. I treasure the rare occasions I can see people from a physical distance but also make time to schedule phone calls. I’ve been reading comics online and buying physical books. In the end, the answer is just, to be gentle with myself, with everything.