Corbett Barr’s Tech Detox

Recently, I spoke to Corbett Barr on my “Why Are We Shouting With Me?” podcast. For those who don’t know him, Corbett Barr is the founder and CEO of www.fizzle.com. He’s also the man who announced publicly that he’s starting over on the internet. This was jarring for me, Barr has over 500 blog posts, 400 podcast episodes, and more than 30,000 Fizzle members, and he was deleting it. So, when Barr emailed me to say he was re-evaluating how he exists online – we had to talk! In this podcast, we spoke in-depth about the years he spent online and how he decided to take control back from the internet.

Here’s a breakdown of a few key points from the podcast: 

The Story of the Creator Economy 

“I think the creator economy and community is having its overnight success moment because these things have been building for a long time. People have been working behind the scenes. There were people who were earning money as bloggers and podcasters and everything else. There were people building small communities for years, even a decade ago, and now all of a sudden it’s everywhere. It’s even, you know, in mainstream publications, people are talking about it like crazy in the New York Times and everything else…” 

The creator economy is a relatively new name for a career path that has been living behind the scenes for years. Creator economy refers to the independent creators – bloggers, influencers, writers, vloggers, etc who monetize themselves, their skills, or their creations. 

Creator economy also includes the companies and platforms that support these creators. These include platforms like Instagram, Twitter, Youtube, and now Tik Tok. We have always had independent creators like freelance writers, photographers, videographers, etc. However, with new social media platforms, you’re able to advertise your skills to a larger audience. These platforms allowed the creator economy to flourish into not only monetizing their skills and their content but allowing an individual to view themselves as a brand and to build a community of people who are interested in them.

Digital Minimalism

“I just started feeling like my digital self was out there, and I kind of lost control of it because you forget about all the places that you have spent time and put photos and thoughts and everything else. And I didn’t like that, that feeling of there were these things out there representing me that weren’t necessarily me in the current, in the present.” 

The feeling that Barr describes is a feeling that many people have experienced whether they’re a part of the creator economy or not. How many social media apps, email addresses, blogs, etc. do you use? Better question, how many accounts do you have? 

The concept of “minimalism” started gaining popularity over the last few decades. We find ourselves a part of a lifestyle of over-consumption, and now we’re flirting with the idea of living happily with less. Minimalism started off as a conversation on reducing “stuff” and being more intentional about what you own and why you have it. 

We’ve seen articles and Netflix documentaries about simplifying our physical life, but what about our digital life? Is there a way to use technology without feeling used by it? Our calendars are packed, our inboxes are bombarded with emails, and we’re constantly being pulled to social media, news, and streaming apps. 

When you take a step back, it truly feels like all your time is spent online and how you spend it, isn’t up to you. This is when minimalism – specifically digital minimalism becomes alluring. 

Social media, email, and the news can be both stressful and productive. It’s important to take a breath and understand our online actions deserve more intention than we give it. How we use apps and online tools can bring value or add chaos. You need to find a balance between the negatives and positives.

Digital Detox 

“I felt like I wasn’t making a lot of progress. So by wiping the slate clean and making some decisions about what direction I wanted to go, suddenly I’m unstuck and I’m making progress again. And it feels great…” 

Barr discussed how even with becoming more digitally minimal he was having some roadblocks. He still felt tied to his previous self. He decided to do a digital detox, or at least his version of one. 

A digital detox is a period of time when a person refrains from using technology. This is a way to focus on real-life social interactions without distractions. By removing these digital distractions, people can let go of the anxiety that stems from the constant connection. 

Barr took this further and “wiped the slate clean.” He deleted almost everything, and by essentially removing his past digital footprint, Barr was able to take fresh steps in this digital world. 

If you haven’t listened to my conversation with Corbett Barr, it’s not too late. There is so much more to learn and understand from Barr’s experience. I’m sure if we all take a page out of Barr’s playbook and redraw our online experiences and build boundaries, our businesses may be all the better for it.