"After embracing minimalism, Dave reduced his persistent social media use down to only a single service, Instagram, which he felt offered significant… - Cal Newport

Outsourcing your autonomy to an attention economy conglomerate — as you do when you mindlessly sign up for whatever new hot service emerges from the Silicon Valley venture capitalist class — is the opposite of freedom, and will likely degrade your individuality.

Solitude requires you to move past reacting to information created by other people and focus instead on your own thoughts and experiences — wherever you happen to be.

Rosen explains as follows: “Hearing a succession of mediocre singers does not add up to a single outstanding performance.” In other words, talent is not a commodity you can buy in bulk and combine to reach the needed levels: There’s a premium to being the best. Therefore, if you’re in a marketplace where the consumer has access to all performers, and everyone’s q value is clear, the consumer will choose the very best.