I've spent a lot of time sitting by myself on a sailboat, and I do kind of align with the though that true solitude is not achieved when reading books or watching TV. And I do believe that solitude from these media may offer some benefits. But I am not sure if I think this holds true for all media.
Watching a TV show affects you're thinking much more than listening to music. To me music is just pleasant noise.
I cannot program while a TV show or podcast is playing, but I tend to program better under certain music. Same goes for studying math. I think the rythm helps me keep my thoughts in check.
As opposed to when I play a video game, read a book or watch a TV show. If I truly enjoy that sort of content it can occupy my head for days. The same may go for music I have not listened to yet, which is why I only listen to albums I know well when I need to focus.
And to that extent, what matters if a person were listening to white-noise or whale-sounds as opposed to classical music? Classical music is produced by another person and thus according to Newport it does not offer solitude. Yet I am not convinced the proposed benefits of solitude would apply for one and not the other.
I've spent a lot of time sitting by myself on a sailboat, and I do kind of align with the though that true solitude is not achieved when reading books or watching TV. And I do believe that solitude from these media may offer some benefits. But I am not sure if I think this holds true for all media.
Watching a TV show affects you're thinking much more than listening to music. To me music is just pleasant noise.
I cannot program while a TV show or podcast is playing, but I tend to program better under certain music. Same goes for studying math. I think the rythm helps me keep my thoughts in check.
As opposed to when I play a video game, read a book or watch a TV show. If I truly enjoy that sort of content it can occupy my head for days. The same may go for music I have not listened to yet, which is why I only listen to albums I know well when I need to focus.
And to that extent, what matters if a person were listening to white-noise or whale-sounds as opposed to classical music? Classical music is produced by another person and thus according to Newport it does not offer solitude. Yet I am not convinced the proposed benefits of solitude would apply for one and not the other.