'DIGITAL MINIMALISM' - A STUDY TO FIND OUT WAYS TO MAKE THE BEST USE OF DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES AND MINIMISE ITS ILL-EFFECTS
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v5.i1.2024.640Keywords:
Digital Minimalism, Internet, Digital Technologies, Social Media, HealthAbstract [English]
Digitalisation can be understood as the usage of digital technologies by governments, businesses and in social processes with the objective of improving them. The story of digitalisation begins with the invention of Internet, which at first was an academic research project (1969), turning into a global commercial network in the 1990s. After the invention of Internet, many advanced digital technologies have been developed and many more are continually being developed. Now we have smartphones, smartwatches, advanced computers, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IOT) and many more advanced digital technologies. Today, almost every sector has adopted digital technologies, be it media, healthcare, defence, entertainment, commerce and industry, education, or anything else. Such is the penetration of digital technologies in our daily life that the present age is called 'Digital Age'.
At present whole world is witnessing digital transformation. COVID-19 pandemic has catalysed the digitalisation of the world. Digitalisation has eased our life a lot. Now we can book our travel tickets online, we can consult doctors online; e-shopping, online education and many more things can be done digitally. But together with opportunities, digitalisation has brought with itself innumerable risks which are also to be minimised. Melvin kranzberg considers technology to be neither good, nor bad, but also not neutral.
There has been a dramatic increase in the use of internet, computers, smartphones, and other electronic devices over recent decades, and this has brought with itself not only benefits but also harms. Excessive digital use leads to health issues (both physical and mental), cyberbullying, privacy issues, cyberfrauds, cyberhacking etc.
This research paper thus explores the concept of 'Digital Minimalism', a philosophy of using digital technologies for meaningful purposes rather than for mere entertainment or idle time. The paper also tries to find out ways to minimise the ill-effects of excessive and improper usage of digital technologies. Digitalisation is not only bringing benefits to our societies but also harms, thus through this paper the researcher aims to make the users of digital technologies use them wisely so that it does not harm their daily lives rather it benefits them. For this the researcher reviewed several books, research papers, articles, news, reports, and other related literature. He also utilised survey methods to get an idea about how people use digital technologies. He shared a Google form and got 103 responses. The data and charts generated in the form were used for data analysis.
At the end of this paper the researcher found that it is very easy to practice 'Digital Minimalism' and make the best use of digital technologies.
Downloads
References
AFPRelaxnews & By AFPRelaxnews. (2022). How Much Time do People Spend on Social Media and Why? Forbes India.
Burr, C., & Floridi, L. (2020). Ethics of Digital Well-Being: A Multidisciplinary Approach. Germany: Springer International Publishing. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50585-1
Charlton, J., & Danforth, I. (2007). Distinguishing Addiction and High Engagement in the Context of Online Game Playing. Computers in Human Behavior, 23(3), 1531-1548. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/J.CHB.2005.07.002 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2005.07.002
Cover, R. (2006). Gaming (ad)Diction: Discourse, Identity, Time and Play in the Production of the Gamer Addiction Myth. The International Journal of Computer Game Research, 6(1).
Digitalisation. (n.d.). Eurofound.
Educating 21st Century Children: Emotional Well-being in the Digital Age. (2019). France: OECD Publishing.
Fuhrmann, D., Knoll, L., & Blakemore, S. (2015). Adolescence as a Sensitive Period of Brain Development. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 19(10), 558-566. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/J.TICS.2015.07.008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2015.07.008
George, M., & Odgers, C. (2015). Seven Fears and the Science of How Mobile Technologies May be Influencing Adolescents in the Digital Age. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 10(6), 832-851. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1745691615596788 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691615596788
How's Life in the Digital Age? Opportunities and Risks of the Digital Transformation for People's Well-being. (2019). France: OECD Publishing.
India Social Media Statistics (2023). Most used top platforms. (2023, July 13). The Global Statistics.
Jalal, S. (2020). Defining the Modern Self Through Technology. Communicator (A Journal of the Indian Institute of Mass Communication), LV(1&2), 73-81.
Kardefelt-Winther, D. (2014). Excessive Internet Use: Fascination or Compulsion?, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE),
Kim, J. et al. (2010). Brief Report: Predictors of Heavy Internet Use and Associations with Health- Promoting and Health Risk Behaviors Among Hong Kong University Students. Journal of Adolescence, 33(1), 215-220. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2009.03.012
Kumar, N. (2016). Digital Detox in India. Journal of Research in Humanities & Soc. Sciences, 4(8), 60-67.
Livingstone, S. et al. (2011). EU Kids Online: Final Report 2011, EU Kids Online, London.
Livingstone, S. et al. (2011). Risks and Safety on the Internet: The Perspective of European Children: Full Findings and Policy Implications From the EU Kids Online Survey of 9-16 Year Olds and Their Parents in 25 Countries, LSE: EU Kids online.
Neuman, S. (1988). The Displacement Effect: Assessing the Relation Between Television Viewing and Reading Performance. Reading Research Quarterly, 23(4), 414. http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/747641 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2307/747641
Newport, C. (2019). Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World. United Kingdom: Penguin Books Limited.
Nilekani, N., & Bhojwani, T. (2022). The Art of Bitfulness. India: Penguin Random House India Private Limited.
Number of worldwide social network users 2027 | Statista. (2023, February 13). Statista.
Paus, T., Keshavan, M., & Giedd, J. (2008). Why do Many Psychiatric Disorders Emerge During adolescence?”. Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 9(12), 947-957. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nrn2513 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nrn2513
Przybylski, A., & Weinstein, N. (2017). A Large-Scale Test of the Goldilocks Hypothesis. Psychological Science, 28(2), 204-215. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0956797616678438
Schell, B. H. (2022). Digital Detox: Why Taking a Break from Technology Can Improve Your Well-Being. United States: ABC-CLIO. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5040/9798400640599
Sisson, S. et al. (2010). Screen Time, Physical Activity, and Overweight in U.S. Youth: National Survey of Children’S Health 2003. Journal of Adolescent Health, 47(3), 309-311. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2010.02.016 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2010.02.016
Sullivan, A. (2016, September 19). I used to be a Human Being. New York Magazine.
Young, K. (1996). Psychology of Computer Use: XL. Addictive use of the Internet: A Case That Breaks the Stereotype. Psychological Reports, 79(3), 899-902. http://dx.doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1996.79.3.899 DOI: https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1996.79.3.899
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Saheb Kumar, Dr. Lok Nath
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
With the licence CC-BY, authors retain the copyright, allowing anyone to download, reuse, re-print, modify, distribute, and/or copy their contribution. The work must be properly attributed to its author.
It is not necessary to ask for further permission from the author or journal board.
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.