There’s a good chance you’re reading this article on your smartphone. And that, while you’re doing so, you’ll get a couple of push notifications, maybe a text message or two, and you may be lured to any number of apps — Instagram, Snapchat — before you finish. There’s also a good chance you feel guilty about it. Many people want to unplug from the technology-facilitated dominion of distraction — a desire occasionally indulged but typically suppressed, given its seeming impossibility.
Role models for digital moderation, much less asceticism, are in short supply. Some of the most prominent people in public life participate enthusiastically in digital modes of discourse. Consider Vice President JD Vance; Elon Musk, the richest man in the world; and Donald Trump, the most powerful man in the world. Their success would appear to vindicate their embrace of online life. But an examination of their respective digital presences raises questions about the desirability, or at least the replicability, of their chosen paths.
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