Digital sufficiency: The right amount of technology

March 11, 2025

Smartphones are engineered for distraction. Pick one up, and suddenly, minutes — or hours — disappear. But technology should serve us, not the other way around. Even so, the question really isn’t how little tech we can use — it’s "How can you use the right amount for you?"

I run Emacs on my phone (not recommended, unless you like Emacs or want to learn it). My phone is loaded with a command-line interface (Yantra Launcher). No icons, no swipe-to-scroll dopamine loops. I have to type launch {app-name} to open an app, which enforces intentionality. If I’m picking up my phone, it’s because I need to do something, not for aimless scrolling.

Minimalism vs. sufficiency

People talk a lot about digital minimalism, the idea of stripping away everything unnecessary. Minimalism can be extreme, reducing tech to the point where it actually hinders productivity. Sufficiency means having exactly what you need: no more, no less. Just enough to be effective, without noise or distraction.

It's more about deliberate versus default use. Many people accept technology the way it’s handed to them: lots of presets, preloaded apps, infinite notifications. Those defaults weren’t designed for your benefit; they were designed to keep you engaged, addicted, and profitable to someone else.

Running Emacs on my phone might seem extreme, but it’s just me shaping my environment to match how I think and work. A launcher that makes me type means I have to know what I’m going to do before I do it. That one-second barrier is enough to make mindless browsing feel like effort — and that little bit of friction is all I need to stay on track.

Digital sufficiency is personal

What works for me won’t work for everyone. Digital sufficiency is personal. Take a close friend of mine, for example — someone with serious health challenges that make everyday life more difficult. They're not homebound, but they gravitate toward comfort for very good reasons.

Still, my friend has a vibrant social life because of social media. They are actively engaged with many other people, through a large iPad that helps with their accessibility issues. Lacking social media would be insufficient because of their situation.

They enjoy a wide circle of friends with whom they frequently interact. My friend's condition also causes them to sleep at odd hours. Often, in the middle of the night, when someone in that circle is depressed, sleepless, or stuck in the hospital, my friend is right there to listen and cheer them up. Social media is perfect for them.

You don’t have to switch to a command-line launcher, run Emacs on your phone, or move the bulk of your social life to the Web to apply this thinking. You absolutely should not copy someone else's setup unless it really speaks to you. But take a moment to ask: Is tech serving me, or am I serving it?

Getting it under control

Here are some potential ways to reclaim control:

• Turn off non-essential notifications. When you find yourself feeling annoyed at an app that often pings you, change the settings or turn off its notifications.
• Remove apps that don’t provide real value. This can sometimes save battery life, too.
• Use tools that require deliberate action instead of passive scrolling, like actually reading the weather forecast from a reliable source.
• Set up your environment to encourage focus and intentional use. At the very least, put those doomscrollers on a second or third screen, so they're that much further out of immediate reach.

Don’t reject technology — choose it. Pick what keeps you focused, effective, and in control. What does that look like for you?