The Perks of Living Without Social Media | Cal Newport

Cal Newport talks about the perks of living without social media. Cal lists four reasons why avoiding social media will benefit your life. Cal explains how you can #EmbraceBoredom. He then explains how you can substitute high quality leisure (like exercise and reading) for the infinite scroll.

Avoiding social media also lowers your sense of self importance. And finally, you'll have more privacy when you shut it down.

0:00 Cal's intro
0:51 Cal talks about the 4 perks and More Boredom
2:59 Cal explains High Quality Leisure
4:06 Lower your anxiety
6:31 Cal talks about Privacy
10:00 Being manipulated by social media

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About Cal Newport:
Cal Newport is a computer science professor at Georgetown University. In addition to his academic research, he writes about the intersection of digital technology and culture. Cal's particularly interested in our struggle to deploy these tools in ways that support instead of subvert the things we care about in both our personal and professional lives.

Cal is a New York Times bestselling author of seven books, including, most recently, A World Without Email, Digital Minimalism, and Deep Work. He's also the creator of The Time-Block Planner.

The videos are considered to be used under the "Fair Use Doctrine" of United States Copyright Law, Title 17 U.S. Code Sections 107-118. Videos are used for editorial and educational purposes only and I do not claim ownership of any original video content. I don't use said video clips in advertisements, marketing or for direct financial gain. All video content in each clip is considered owned by the individual broadcast companies.

#CalNewport #DeepWork #DeepLife #DeepQuestions #TimeblockPlanner
#WorldWithoutEmail #DeepQuestionsPodcast

[JackCalvinRoss]

That ending line was perfect. "You don't want an inflated sense of importance. You want real sense of importance made from doing real things on behalf of real people, that really matters."

[AlexKashie]

Being alone with our own thoughts is really underrated… Thank you Cal

[TheWeekendYogurt]

Benefit: you become a normal down to earth real person again.

Deleted all social media 10 years ago when I was 19 because I realized what was happening to me. To this day, still one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

[mistguides]

Summary:
1. More boredom - boredom produces creativity, you're left thinking about the world around you
2. Lower your anxiety - There is more information than you can consume, and social media usually shows you the bad side of the world
3. Privacy - less unknown people know about you, it is probably better
4. Lower self importance - He doesn't talk about not feeling important, but social media gives notifications that make you feel that things you do are important

[himanshugule]

"your world is what you pay attention to " this line 🔥

[robbiejsemperfi]

I gave up social media several months ago and have not looked back. I was addicted to it, checking ex's profiles, mindless scrolling, always anxious. My anxiety has decreased tremendously, and i have more time to read, and do other productive things.

[drew]

Getting off social media has been like unplugging from the matrix. When I tell people I have no social media the reactions are similar to why someone doesn't drink alcohol. I had a girl say that it was a huge red flag that I don't have social media because I must be hiding something. I just value my privacy and have goals and social media was interfering with that.

[KB]

Remember that Youtube is also a social media. If you are reading this comment, you do have social media. Yeah, it probably doesn't have pictures of your friends "perfect lives" but it does have a constant stream of information and opinions screaming in your face. And speaking from personal experience, it's super addictive.

[valerieh]

I think what hurts the most is that I realized not a lot of people truly care about you once you leave social media. I had maybe 3-4 people notice that I wasn’t posting anymore and they just said something like “I noticed you deactivated your account” or “I just thought you’re taking a break”, which is fine. But that’s only 3-4 people out of perhaps hundred. Another thing that’s been difficult is staying in touch with others, but that’s because I’ve gotten used to using social media as a crutch to make connections rather than doing it naturally.

[Jambajakumba]

I really appreciate boredom nowadays after letting go of social media. I used to think reading books was not a way to decompress after a long day. Turns out, it's more rejuvenating. I think that's the biggest thing I got from Cal. Thanks man👏👏👏

[gangwithshomny]

Never heard truer words. Currently at 5 months no Social media, No friends= the best 5 Months of my life so far

[jeffcubeta]

"The world constructed by your mind is constructed by what you pay attention to. (If you're paying attention to social media, that is going to be a grim, unsettling world.)"  

This is a critical point. Bravo, Mr. Newport.

[BleuNoirProductions]

I deleted my Facebook and Instagram-accounts when I was done reading the first section of “Digital Minimalism”. This was two months ago. It makes me feel like I feel about quitting smoking a few years back. I’m so glad I did it and I can’t imagine missing it. Thanks Cal, you really opened my eyes on this issue.

[timothyswauger]

Since I dumped social media, my anxiety level has decreased significantly and my happiness and contentment have been completely restored so making that change was truly a life changing experience.

[davidagbona]

I lost my smartphone and my laptop for one month.

I've never had so much clarity in my life.

It was hard at first, but I found joy in taking walks.

I read actual physical books. I thought a lot. I wrote a lot of good poetry.

I found so much clarity. My mind was free.... It was hard, but amazing.

[cropcircle]

I've been saying it for a decade... It is sad and should be alarming at how many people have fallen for the most base and obvious manipulation tricks. Social media has set humanity back a bit and it didn't have to happen this way.

[taracmonroe]

Social media is sucking up such a great amount of our time and potential. I’ve read so much since quitting and my anxiety is way down.

[clayryan]

I have a tendency of deleting my FB, IG, Twitter, repeatedly and then at times go back on them. You're right, it's very addictive and it all goes back to being content with yourself like nature intended. We were not meant to have information thrown at us continuously.

[Suebian]

One of the main reasons why I deleted my Insta/Reddit & Facebook is because as a middle school teacher I have seen firsthand how damaging the social media addiction is to my students. They are chronically stressed and overwhelmed due to overstimulation. It also made me think about the adverse effects on myself. It's been very liberating to be rid of it.

[JacksonDesjardins]

I recently did this with my own social media and growing YouTube following. The priorities in my life have completely changed. I got engaged, got a dog, and picked up new hobbies. Your life is the 3 feet in front of you, not the 3 scrolls in front of you.