Scan barcode
A review by logarithms
Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World by Cal Newport
4.0
bruh. 4 stars cause it was super useful and actionable. but, the writing was a bit annoying (extremely formulaic. introduction - 3 args - conclusion, TEEL structure everywhere, it kinda hurt me a little. it also didn't feel 'academic enough' for my tastes - would've liked a few more concrete references to studies and to have the facts/figures quoted) (also, can this guy calm down about thoreau...we got it thanks...) (also the awkward switching between last name and first name for people he mentioned) (the real clumsy segment about jennifer grygiel, where the name jennifer is repeated, oh lets say 700 TIMES? i feel like this was a weird way to avoid using the singular they pronoun to avoid confusion but it just made the segment super disjointed to read??)
i read this in one sitting and i feel like he learned from the tech companies he was studying to also make an addictive product (like...short segments to keep your attention, catchy segment titles, decorative elements like fonts, dividers and text boxes, casual register, quotes and references (intermittent rewards much? keep reading cause there are references you will get and others you wont, but when u get one u get a rush of feeling smart and well read), lists (everyone loves lists this is fact), priming/an appeal to competitive nature (the quote on the front of my copy was essentially "i read this book in one sitting and i bet youll do the same" AND I DID), etc.). This feels like metacommentary on the double-edged sword of everything - like, tech companies use strategies for making an addictive product to make u spend your time on mindnumbing scrolling of feeds, while authors can use these techniques to trick/encourage you into getting hooked on an arguably* more worthwhile pursuit like reading.
*"arguably" because i found this line funny: "Leisure lesson #1: Prioritize demanding activity over passive consumption." cause where does this put reading? Let's go for...demanding consumption xD
anyway this book was fun i will be going on a digital detox now goodbye (well. actually goodreads is one of my permitted services, as in, all i can use it for is leaving a review then evacuating the premises)
i read this in one sitting and i feel like he learned from the tech companies he was studying to also make an addictive product (like...short segments to keep your attention, catchy segment titles, decorative elements like fonts, dividers and text boxes, casual register, quotes and references (intermittent rewards much? keep reading cause there are references you will get and others you wont, but when u get one u get a rush of feeling smart and well read), lists (everyone loves lists this is fact), priming/an appeal to competitive nature (the quote on the front of my copy was essentially "i read this book in one sitting and i bet youll do the same" AND I DID), etc.). This feels like metacommentary on the double-edged sword of everything - like, tech companies use strategies for making an addictive product to make u spend your time on mindnumbing scrolling of feeds, while authors can use these techniques to trick/encourage you into getting hooked on an arguably* more worthwhile pursuit like reading.
*"arguably" because i found this line funny: "Leisure lesson #1: Prioritize demanding activity over passive consumption." cause where does this put reading? Let's go for...demanding consumption xD
anyway this book was fun i will be going on a digital detox now goodbye (well. actually goodreads is one of my permitted services, as in, all i can use it for is leaving a review then evacuating the premises)