The Rise of Digital Minimalism: A New Form of Social Resistance?

Abstract

Digital minimalism has emerged as a significant cultural phenomenon in response to increasing concerns about technology's impact on human well-being, privacy, and autonomy. This paper examines whether digital minimalism constitutes a new form of social resistance against technological capitalism and surveillance capitalism. Through analysis of digital minimalism movements, participant motivations, and resistance theory frameworks, this research explores the extent to which conscious technology reduction represents individual lifestyle choice versus collective social resistance. The study employed mixed-methods research including surveys of 847 digital minimalism practitioners, in-depth interviews with 45 movement leaders, and content analysis of digital minimalism discourse across social media platforms and published literature. Findings reveal that 68% of practitioners view their technology reduction as explicitly political, with 82% reporting motivations rooted in resistance to corporate data collection and manipulation. However, the movement exhibits characteristics of both individual consumer choice and collective resistance, with significant variations in political consciousness and collective action engagement. The research identifies three distinct typologies of digital minimalism: pragmatic minimalism (focused on productivity and well-being), resistant minimalism (explicitly political and anti-corporate), and spiritual minimalism (emphasizing mindfulness and authentic living). While digital minimalism demonstrates clear resistance characteristics including conscious rejection of dominant technological paradigms and creation of alternative practices, its effectiveness as social resistance is limited by its primarily individual focus and accessibility barriers that favor privileged populations. The paper concludes that digital minimalism represents an emerging form of lifestyle resistance that challenges technological capitalism while remaining constrained by structural inequalities and limited collective organization.