To the Editor:
Re “Stop Filling Your Mind With Digital Doritos,” by Cal Newport (Opinion guest essay, March 29):
As the Australian psychologist who coined the term “digital nutrition” in 2013 to move the conversation around our digital consumption habits beyond crude measures of screen time, I found Mr. Newport’s argument both resonant and reductive.
Yes, some digital content we consume is A.I.-generated “workslop,” with the equivalent of genetically modified ingredients, but it is wrong to imply, as Mr. Newport does, that all TikTok videos are “digital Doritos” or that social media can be understood only through the lens of harm. For many young people, these social media platforms also provide what I call virtual vitamins — connection, creativity, identity, information and support.
Mr. Newport also approvingly notes Australia’s under-16 social media ban, but the ban will not, on its own, create healthier digital habits or stave off brain rot.
Removing digital junk food from the pantry without teaching discernment, self-regulation and digital literacy is like emptying the cupboards and hoping that young people will magically emerge at 16 with a sense of balance and moderation.
The real task is not abstinence until a birthday. Real digital nutrition involves helping children and adults alike understand persuasive design, algorithms, social dynamics and content quality so they can consume technology with intention and intelligence, not secrecy.
Jocelyn Brewer Sydney, Australia
To the Editor:
I plan to give Cal Newport’s essay to my grandchildren to read — hopefully without distractions from their phones.
My mother was a psychiatrist and instilled in me an early fascination with the workings of the brain. I have worked hard to expand the frontiers of my brain in action, as well as my awareness of when it crosses into a zone of hyperclarity and, occasionally, creativity. To me, that is the one true natural high.
As an agricultural policy expert, I work across disciplines, with one half of my brain in science and the other half in law and policy. I am convinced that cognitive cross-communication has made me smarter.
One problem, though. I concentrate so deeply at the computer — sometimes for three or four hours — that my body locks up. When I stand, I am like the Tin Man, looking for the oil can.
Chuck Benbrook Lakeville, Maine
To the Editor:
When I came upon Cal Newport’s article about people’s diminishing ability to concentrate for long periods of time, I wondered, “Is that true?” So I decided to read it.
I was well into the first paragraph when I noticed a robin on my bird feeder. Spring has arrived!
I started over on the essay and was locked in until the third paragraph, when I observed that the wind had really picked up and was wreaking havoc with the leaves in my front yard.
I returned to the essay and was riveted — until the sixth paragraph, when I realized that my coffee had gotten cold. So I took my cup of coffee to the microwave and warmed it up.
With a delicious hot cup of coffee in hand, I returned to the article and was amazed by Mr. Newport’s insights until I came across his reference to Jane Fonda workout videos and wondered, “Is Peter Fonda still alive?” I looked it up. No. He died in 2019.
Returning to the essay, I realized, halfway through, that I needed a nap. All that concentrating tired me out. But I vowed that when I got up from my nap, refreshed, I would read Mr. Newport’s entire essay no matter what. I suspect he knows what he’s talking about.
Look! A vintage 1958 Chevy just drove by!
Doug Williams Minneapolis
To the Editor:
Can’t concentrate? Am I the only one who remembers Luis Buñuel’s 1972 movie “The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie”?
The recurring gag in that movie was the telephone that began ringing anytime anyone started to say something meaningful.
Gary McClintock Rock Island, Ill.
A Failure of Leadership
To the Editor:
President Trump doesn’t understand that bravado is not strength; it is a liability.
When the American presidency trades seasoned diplomacy for midnight social media broadsides, the cost is measured in global geopolitical and economic fallout.
By prioritizing hyperbole over allied collaboration, we have managed a dangerous feat: isolating ourselves from our allies while handing our adversaries new leverage. Our erratic stance on global trade and territorial seizures has pushed traditional partners toward China and Russia.
The United States’ lack of strategic coordination has handed Iran the greatest weapon: the Strait of Hormuz, allowing it to monetize a global oil crisis to fund the very nuclear ambitions we were seeking to curb. This poorly thought-out war has made Iran a sudden and unexpected global superpower.
Hyperbole and going it alone do not project strength. They signal a vacuum in leadership that leaves the world stage more fractured and the American position more vulnerable. Such leadership is reckless, and the consequences are expensive and enduring.
Adam Lipson Hilton Head Island, S.C. The writer is the president and C.E.O. of Network + Security Technologies, a cybersecurity consulting firm.
Deconstructing Trump-Speak
To the Editor:
Re “Trump Is Transforming the English Language One Verb at a Time,” by Sarah L. Kaufman (Opinion guest essay, April 6):
While elucidating President Trump’s idiosyncratic (mis)use of verbs, Ms. Kaufman chooses to describe an aspect of his style as obfuscation as opposed to lying. I would suggest that when Mr. Trump says “we’ve won” the war with Iran, he’s lying — and that it is more than generous, and potentially (however inadvertently) misleading, to describe this as obfuscation.
Contrary to Ms. Kaufman’s claim, I do not think that Mr. Trump is capable of a sophisticated use of language. In fact, much of what comes out of his mouth can be understood from a psychological perspective whereby he accuses others of what he is doing (projection) or makes statements about reality as he wishes it existed rather than what it actually is (a kind of confabulation).
I am reassured to see how The New York Times has recently been calling out Mr. Trump’s lies more openly. Doing so speaks directly to his lack of fitness and dangerousness in his role as president.
Larry S. Sandberg New York The writer is a clinical associate professor of psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College.
‘Moon Joy’
To the Editor:
Re “‘Moon Joy’ Overtakes a Crew in Wonderment” (news article, April 8):
We on Earth can’t experience what the astronauts are experiencing as they behold the moon from their unique perspective. But to hear of their joy beyond words, to see these scientists and engineers in a state of inspiration, enables us to at least imagine it.
I hope that on a future journey NASA will send poets and composers who can convey their wonder to us through their arts.
Ron Meyers New York
The post Ditching Digital Junk Food for a Healthier Mind appeared first on New York Times.
