This article is coming from a place of old thinking when it comes to addiction recovery. On top of that, it strikes me as trying to shame Manjoo, which would be

This article is coming from a place of old thinking when it comes to addiction recovery. On top of that, it strikes me as trying to shame Manjoo, which would be a harmful thing to attempt to do toward anyone, but especially toward an addict. The author seems to apply black-and-white thinking in the form of abstinence-only recovery. Also, everyone's point of sufficient disconnection will be different based on the person, as well as what kind of effects they wish to see. Rigid thinking is another sign of addiction, so is OP's author demonstrating their own need for growth through their rigid definition of "disconnection"? To better understand these points, here's a little bit about why I have these views: I'm a recovering information addict of a little over 2 years and doing so requires changing our definitions of what classic recovery looks like. Abstinence models (ie. "completely unplugging," which is not what Manjoo did) for recovery are unrealistic and can contribute to shame components of addiction. As well, the common characterizations of lapses/relapses can inhibit growth/learning. It's not possible to completely disconnect from information and, therefore, it's possible to see great benefits from any dramatic behavioral change around an info source (or multiple ones). OP's author seems to be applying some form of black and white thinking and assumes they know how much disconnection is necessary for Manjoo to see differences. That's not possible, so the underlying premise of OP isn't wrong, but it's moot. The true question is did Manjoo see a shift in their reality/experience. That's the question we need more data to answer and it may only be self-reported qualitative data. That's ok. The chart in these spreadsheets confirms their behavior shifted dramatically and I know that can lead to effects. In my case, completely disconnecting wasn't enough. I had to stop looking things up in books before withdrawal symptoms showed up in the form of vivid dreams that woke me up 1-3 times per night. That withdrawal period lasted 9 months and I wasn't completely disconnected throughout the period, but I mostly was. I have device usage data front then and intend to publish it as part of a larger work on addiction recovery, in general. It took me 9 months to dissect and reprogram my behavior to the point that my mind didn't have to live out in dreams what I was removing. I absolutely believe a sharp, sustained decrease in Twitter usage is enough to spot basic ways in which excessive behavior negatively impacts life.