Digital minimalism

As a technology user in the 21st century, have you ever felt the other way around sometimes, that you are being used by technology instead? It uses up your attention, your time, and that’s actually how these tech companies survive. They need your attention and time on their products, the more the better (one example, with your consumption comes better user statistics, hence more advertisers for them). Often, you couldn’t seem to be able to put your phone away, as you kept having the urge to respond to the messages or check for new updates on social media.

And here is how minimalism can help, and all you have to do is to follow its fundamental concept: making intentional choices but allowing what matters most to you, while acknowledging your fear.

I happened to get a taste of being digital minimalistic last month when I was changing to a new telecommunication service provider. During that time, my phone didn’t have mobile data subscription, hence I can only connect to the internet via WiFi. I’ll admit, at first I did panic a bit, wondering if I’d buy a data package.

But everything turned out to be alright, with my fears being eliminated one by one. At first it was the fear of missing out. I used to refresh my social media apps for updates every few hours, but now I don’t do it as frequently as I used to, sometimes once during the day and once before ending my day. Also, there’s this fear of me being a hassle as I couldn’t respond promptly to the chats while I’m out, but my friends are more understanding than I thought, as they didn’t press on me for prompt replies; and I learned that the messages, usually casual conversations, often can wait. Although I didn’t chat on the phone as much as I did, I did talk more with them in person.

With my main fears gone, I found out that I enjoy the little things around me more. Between the little time I’ve got while I’m in the subway, in a queue, waiting for the lift, my eyes were no longer glued to a little screen in my hand, but are looking around at my surroundings. I’d wink at the little kid who was staring at me, smile at the funny conversations between the students that I overheard, and havehave small talks with the security.

Since I was not using my phone on the tables, my friends also put their phones away and we have more interactions too. The change is certainly positive, and I felt better than I had previously. What’s the use of always catching up with the latest news and updates? Now, with my mobile data back in action, I’m making intentional choices - some things can wait in the virtual world, while I attend to my priorities in my life.