Original thought

Digital Minimalism Diaries #4

Something I’ve been thinking about a lot lately is the concept of original thought. I seem to have seen a lot on Substack recently about the demise of original thought in conjunction with the rise of social media, which is also seemingly linked to “brain rot”, the 2024 Oxford Word of the Year. This could be one reason why people have been leaving social media in droves for years, this desire to re-cultivate original thought.

If not you’re sure what original thought is, here is a good explanation, but in short it means being able to come up with your own original ideas, as well as having the ability to think for yourself and act on those thoughts.

I’m not on social media apart from YouTube and Substack, but intentionally spending less time on both platforms is doing wonders for my original thought. I find myself feeling creative at various times during the day when I’d normally be scrolling social media (or “brain-rotting”, as the cool kids call it), I find myself picking up a book instead of picking up my phone or doing a few pieces of a puzzle or some other analogue activity. In general I’m feeling more creative with more creative as I’ve attempted to live a more digitally minimalistic existence.

As

Gigi Nadeau

pointed out in the Note below, we need space for inspiration. Staying off social media and the internet in general as much as possible, and cultivating a life offline, leads to greater originality and creativity in your own life because you’re not filling your brain with other people’s thoughts 24/7.

So far in this series I haven’t really mentioned anything about how digital minimalism relates to neurodivergence. Truth be told I am still unravelling this in my brain as I think it’s a much more nuanced and complex topic than it is sometimes painted as. I’m assuming most people reading this are subscribed to me for my neurodivergent content, so I’m careful to try to link in relatability to neurodivergence — but until I unravel more threads in my brain, the best I can offer you is that I’ve noticed a positive impact on my ADHD symptoms and traits the less time I spend online, specifically the less time I spend mindlessly scrolling or on social media.

The flip side of this is that I notice a negative effect if I spend too much time on social media or online in general, specifically on my phone. ‘Too much time’ to me seems to look like anything over a couple of hours a day. I’m aware that’s relatively little time online (not including time spent studying or writing this Substack), but it really does help. If you’re going to consume social media, I highly recommend you stay away from short-form content as much as possible and instead spend quality time savouring long-form content — posts like this one, but also long-form YouTube videos, as well as enjoying analogue activities such as reading physical books, doing arts and crafts, and engaging in other analogue activities and hobbies.

These days, when I come onto Substack I am quickly overwhelmed. So many posts and Notes to catch up, amazing new writers and creators I’d love to follow but don’t have time to look at, so many interesting and inspiring things to read… it can quickly become overwhelming. I tend to scroll Notes for a bit, screenshot my favourite quotes or photos and then abandon the rest to the algorithm. I return my phone to the drawer where it lives during the day and instead turn to my trusty paper and pen where I can scribble away to my heart’s content.