Notes from video “Quit Social Media”

I recently watched a TEDx talk by Dr. Cal Newport detailing his views on social media. Dr. Newport is unique in that he has never had any sort of social media account. In this talk, he details some of the key issues surrounding social media use. I took notes during my second viewing of the talk and am sharing those here.

  • Social media is NOT a fundamental technology for living in today’s world – It IS an entertainment technology
  • He considers himself to be better off in life without using social media
  • Objections to quitting social media: A.) Don’t think I can function in the modern world with interaction with others in social media B.) It is vital to my modern world autonomy – I won’t be able to market effectively C.) It’s harmless, I have fun, I might miss out of something if I don’t use it.
  • Social media outlets hire employees, attention engineers, whose job is to make the outlets more addictive
  • The key is to develop skills that are rare and valuable…people will find you without social media
  • Social media reduces the ability to focus for long periods of time – Permanently reduces the ability to concentrate.
  • Increases the feeling of isolation and loneliness…can increase instances of depression…our brains are not wired for what social media is geared towards
  • The first couple of weeks away from social media can be uncomfortable.
  • No social media equates to higher productivity….no social media means much less stressful leisure time….restorative and peaceful
  • Social media is like a slot machine on your phone…
  • Anything a smartphone can do is not going to be what the market rewards.

Video share: “Quit Social Media”

Yet another TEDX talk exploring the possibility of removing social media from our lives. This talk comes from Dr. Cal Newport, an individual who has NEVER had a social media account. He shares several key reasons why we should all closely examine our addiction to various forms of social media.

https://youtu.be/3E7hkPZ-HTk?si=cebsRzyth5Cv9DV-

People in our Lives…

During one’s lifetime, there are countless people they will encounter. Some, like family, are there for a lifetime. Others, like neighbors, are there for a season. Regardless, I feel that people are in our lives by design and have their designed role to play, as do we. This is regardless of the amount of time we’re in their presence.

I’ll be writing more on this topic later, but wanted to go ahead and publish this to see if there’s any feedback….

Readings – February 23, 2026

Meditation for the Day

Love the busy life. It is a joy-filled life. Take your fill of joy in the spring. Live outdoors whenever possible. Sun and air are nature’s great healing forces. That inward joy changes poisoned blood into a pure, healthy, life-giving flow. But never forget that the real healing of the spirit comes from within, from the close, loving contact of your spirit with God’s spirit. Keep in close communion with God’s spirit day by day.

Prayer for the Day
I pray that I may learn to live the abundant life. I pray that I may enjoy a close contact with God this day and be glad in it.

From Twenty-Four Hours a Day 

A man who studieth revenge keeps his own wounds green.
Francis Bacon

Where do we direct our energy? Are we spending time and thought on how we have been wronged? on the unfairness of life? Those who consume their resources in this way have few left for growth and development. Their wounds stay open for years, and they block the healing.

What will we need to set aside our resentments and hateful attitudes? Perhaps we have been passively waiting for the other guy to make amends. That only puts our enemies in charge of us. It would be better if we could say, “I am going to move on. The change that is needed for me to heal will come from within me. I will not put my happiness in another’s hands.” More than revenge, we want a life worth living – for ourselves and the ones we love. We can give our energies to that.

Lift from me the desire for revenge. Replace it with the fullness of a healed life.

From Touchstones: A Book of Daily Meditations for Men

Changing Weather – Part Two

Sunday evening, 9:10 p.m. – Nearly twenty-eight degrees cooler in Hickory, North Carolina than it was at this same time yesterday…But at least the wind has died down some. Highest wind speed at my home weather station today was 15.9 mph, although it certainly seemed like it was stronger much of the day.

Changing Weather

I’ve had an interest in meteorology for quite a few years. I remember when I was a child and ordered a weather station that had to be put together. Later in life, I would teach middle school science, and for much of that time, weather was one of the topics we studied. Long story short, I taught it long enough where I actually learned quite a bit. Today, I have a much more tecnologically-based weather station in my back yard that in addition to showing current conditions, keeps a record of weather from the past. That’s where’s todays “Changing Weather” graphic comes from. The winds are swirling outside and the temperature has plummeted from the spring-like temperatures we experienced yesterday. These readings are for 3:12 pm on Sunday, February 22, 2026.

Appstitence….Five Days In

This past Wednesday marked my first day away from Facebook for the period of Lent. As in the past, it’s somewhat difficult those first few days to stay away. As time progresses, it does get much easier, to the point on Easter Sunday where I’ll try to decide whether to go back at all.

I have been looking at Instagram, TicToc, and Snapchat. After some contemplation, I have decided to forgo those as well for the rest of my hiatus. Although they are not quite as interactive as Facebook, I discovered they were taking up quite a bit of time in my life. So I’ll dive deeper into the hiatus from Facebook and include all those others that I’ve mentioned.

David Lee