Thinking With Mitch Joel Why We're All Digitally Exhausted With Paul Leonardi - TWMJ #1017
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Jan 4, 2026 In this engaging discussion, Paul Leonardi, a Professor at UC Santa Barbara and author of Digital Exhaustion, unpackages the paradox of our digital age. He highlights how technology's vast capabilities often come with mental fatigue due to constant task switching and emotional strain. Leonardi discusses the implications of surveillance capitalism, the overload of information, and the erosion of traditional communication norms. Through practical strategies, he encourages listeners to reclaim focus, suggesting a reduction of tools and intentional use to combat the exhaustion we often feel.
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Tools Enable And Exhaust Simultaneously
- Digital tools offer unprecedented capabilities while simultaneously creating widespread cognitive and emotional fatigue.
- Paul Leonardi argues exhaustion comes from how we use and orient to these tools, not the tools alone.
Switching And Inference Drain Energy
- Two core drivers of exhaustion are frequent attention switching across many tools and continuous inference-making about incomplete signals.
- These switches and inferences create mental, emotional, and physical drain beyond simple screen time.
Natives Aren't Immune To Overload
- Digital natives aren't immune; being born into a saturated environment makes navigation harder, not easier.
- Leonardi compares it to being born into poverty: survival is possible but the baseline is disadvantaged.
