#304 - Why I Left Twitter

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Only the first 1 hour and 9 minutes of this episode are available on the paywalled podcast version (the BLACK podcast logo). If you&rsquo;d like to hear the full 2 hours and 34 minutes of this episode and gain access to all full-length episodes of the podcast, you&rsquo;ll need to SUBSCRIBE </span><a href="https://www.samharris.org/subscribe" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><span style="font-weight: 400;">here</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. If you&rsquo;re already subscribed and on the private RSS feed, the podcast logo should appear RED.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Sam Harris explains why he deleted his Twitter account. He then speaks with Cal Newport about the fragmentation of modern life. They discuss the history of computer science, how information technology has changed our lives, the effects of social media, the business model of the Internet, the power of TikTok, the future of Twitter, winner-take-all dynamics in podcasting, conspiracy thinking, the way technology drives cultural change, email and the loss of productivity, the cognitive cost of context switching, deep work, the benefits of controlling one's time, the problem with the advice to "follow your passion," and other topics.</span></p> <p><strong>Cal Newport</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> is an Associate Professor of Computer Science at Georgetown University. His scholarship focuses on the theory of distributed systems, while his general-audience writing explores intersections of culture and technology. He is the author of seven books, including, most recently, </span><a href="https://amzn.to/3AMg0Or" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">A World Without Email</span></em></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, </span><a href="https://amzn.to/3XGDqhM" target="_blank" rel="noopener"><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Digital Minimalism</span></em></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, and </span><a href="https://amzn.to/3Fa92p9" target="_blank" rel=