Cyber-Minimalism
Or, The Health Of Cleaning Out Your Phone
For me part of living a more Natural life is pursuing the concept of ‘minimalism.’ Our drive to accumulate ‘stuff’ (especially that for which we have no practical need) is in my assessment a ‘bug’ of being human - not a ‘feature’ - and it is bug which has been slowly programmed into us by the vile Doctrine of Mammon for over 2700 years. I firmly believe if we want to get back to what is real, we have to address within ourselves this pathological desire for ‘things.’
As I discussed in the “Page of Lessons”…
Accept as your own only that which is earned or freely given, casting aside - by trade or charity - any excess which does not enrich your personal growth, enhance your productive efforts, provide for your survival, or bring joy into your life.
This has been an ongoing process for me, one in which I am still fully engaged.
One of things I find curious, however, is how people tend to view minimalism as merely a clearing of material clutter. While that is certainly an aspect - indeed, the primary aspect - to getting tangibly leaner, the Temporal World is not the only place where we can build up unhealthy excess. Spiritual and mental junk is oft created through the hoarding of ones-and-zeros, and can become as burdensome as any physical pile of old ‘toys’ (i.e. ‘devices’) with which we no longer engage.
For example… how many apps do you have on your phone? Now ask yourself how many of them are justified by any of the four tenets laid out in the above-quote?
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I mean, remember that feeling you would get when you purchased a new phone? Before everything was cloud-based, of course, before whatever you used on your previous phone was only a tap or two away from being reloaded? It was not only shiny and new, but the playground within was clean. It was a fresh start… a new park to explore, as it were.
Over time (and usually not a lot of time) you would accumulate apps, and photos, and videos, and on and on and on, then - before you knew it? Even opening your device started to feel like an overwhelming burden, due to the various bells-and-tones (and pretty-pretty colors) demanding your attention. These apps oft create within us a sense of need for each, a need is almost always completely manufactured.
An illusion. One which is not ‘real.’
I recently tackled this paradigm with my own mobile device, and the results were staggering. I had so many apps I literally never opened, for any reason, I could not believe it. My mental excuse for keeping each one was ‘Well, someday I may need it, so I better keep it on hand.
Haven’t used Zoom from my phone in well over five years, yet there it was… sitting there, mocking me, just in case I needed it. But why, though?
So I spent a few days in-between my ‘productive’ moments clearing out apps. Some of it was easy (why the blazes did I still have a Gettr app?), while others took more thought. Eventually, though, I got it whittled down to apps I frequently use (and, in a couple of cases, genuinely need), and I felt… lighter.
However… I wondered if I should go further. I started thinking about the apps for the various ‘social’ platforms, which lead me to ask myself: “Do I really need them? Are they making me more productive or boosting my spirit? Are they vital to my existence, or do I derive any genuine joy from them?”
No. In fact, the exact opposite was true in each case. Time for another purge.
So I went on a rampage. Dumped X, YouTube, and TikTok (took a particular joy from ‘cancelling’ that one, considering how frequently they have done the same to me and my friends). Got rid of Instagram and Facebook (which I never use anyhow) as well, and even dropped the app for the free-speech video platform Rumble.
And yes, I deleted the Substack app as well.
This does not mean I cancelled my accounts with those platforms; obviously, as an individual who makes at least part of his living as a writer, having access to many of said-platforms is critical. But all of the platforms I need or enjoy (which does not include the ‘Tube, the ‘Book, or the ‘Tok) can be accessed from a browser on a desktop or laptop computer, which means…
… they can be accessed from the browser on my phone as well. Problem… solution.
And here is the best part: Just like with your computer, once you login to each site your browser will automatically save your credentials, so you do not have to sign-in each time you open it. In most cases you can even add a home-screen shortcut for easy access as well, with several sites opening as a dedicated page.
It is different going this route - in many cases, you do end up sacrificing certain app-based features - but the positive psychological effect is worth an inconvenience or two. In truth, getting rid of those apps has not only been quite liberating, but also one of the best things I have ever done.
I know there might be a few who would say that using a platform from a browser versus an app is really no different, that any feeling of liberation is placebo-ish at best, an all-in-the-mind ploy without any tangible value.
I would remind them, however, that apps literally take up space on your phone, so there is a quantifiable result of dumping them. Then there is the fabricated desire to compulsively check and recheck an app for interaction, a desire I discovered is not nearly as prevalent when using a browser.
All that aside, having tested this for myself (I never recommend an action without engaging in to first)? I can say from personal experience that it does work.
But even if I am ‘wrong’… even if it is just ‘all-in-the-mind?’ So what?
We are dealing with psychological effects, after all (which are literally ‘in-the-mind’), of altering one’s ethereal energy in a positive manner. As such, if an intangible action achieves that on an intangible (dare I say ‘ethereal’) level… isn’t that the point?
Therefore, if you find yourself wondering if your phone is inadvertently weighing you down. or becoming a drag on your energy? This is something which I believe can help. Not only will it give you a lighter spiritual step, but it fits well into the concept of minimalism.
Which is, as we have noted… 'Natural.’
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Notes…
-- Feature images were initially generated by the author using Grok 2 (on X), then altered artistically using the CapCut app.
-- Unless otherwise credited, all other images were generated by the author, using Grok 2 or Substack’s AI Image Tool.
This seems to be a big theme or "in the air" right now. The clearing/cutting away of the things that are not needed. Mine is coming up especially strong around tech - thank you for this
Another problem (although I suppose it depends on the provider *cough*Verizon*cough) is the bloatware put on your phone with each "software upgrade." I KNOW there weren't 86 apps on my phone (just counted them) when I got it and I may have added five.