False economy What’s in it for me? Understand what makes the

Digital minimalism
What’s in it for me? Learn how to take back your 
life from the powerful forces of the attention 
economy.
There have been many technological hallmarks 
over the past twenty years or so, but one that 
may not spring immediately to mind is the “Like” 
button. When this click of approval debuted in 
2007, on the long-forgotten social feed 
aggregator FriendFeed, it was only a matter of 
time before it became a standard feature on 
every social media platform to come. After all, 
this simple feature, and the endless notifications 
it generates, is a great way to collect data on our 
preferences and behaviors, and to keep users 
hooked.

---

It’s no wonder people are finally starting to push 
back against social media and recognize that 
these technologies may be doing more harm 
than good. Indeed, a steady output of research 
has been opening our eyes to the many negative 
effects related to social media and smartphones.
In this book, professor Cal Newport conducted 
his own experiment. 1,600 volunteers followed 
his guidelines for a month-long technological 
sabbatical, 
providing 
him 
with 
valuable 
feedback. The result of this study is digital 
minimalism: a way to step back from the 
onslaught of digital distractions and find a more 
satisfying and rewarding way of life.
In these blinks, you’ll find out

How social media is like big tobacco;

How the Amish can help you to better 
use your smartphone; and

How your attention became more 
valuable than oil.
These days, devices intended for telephone 
calls and portable music have turned into 
addictive and dangerous tools.
In 2016, New York magazine ran an article by 
the popular writer Andrew Sullivan. In 7,000 
words, the author described how the constant 
onslaught of news, images and online babble 
finally “broke” him. There’s a good chance you’re 
familiar with the symptoms of what Sullivan was 
writing about – the constant urge to take out 
your smartphone and check your texts, email or 
social media feeds, the strange dull sensation of 
a moment when you’re not using digital media. 
How did we end up here?
One important thing to realize is that the 
technology at the center of this problem was 
never intended to be used in the way it is now. 
When the first smartphone, the iPhone, debuted 
in 2007, Steve Jobs introduced the device as 
“the best iPod ever.” It was a cool way for you to 
make phone calls and also listen to your music. 
According to Andy Grignon, an Apple engineer 
on the first iPhone project, Jobs dismissed the 
idea of the iPhone becoming a platform for third-