Alter, Adam. 2023. Anatomy of a Breakthrough: How to Get Unstuck When It Matters Most. New York: Penguin. 

• Alter explores the psychology of why we get stuck in life and work, and how the same distraction-filled environment that derails us can also be reshaped to help us move forward. While not solely about screens, it speaks directly to how our habits and tools form the conditions for creativity and change. I’d recommend it as a way of rethinking both the costs of distraction and the possibility of using constraint to your advantage.

Aviv, Rachel. 2022. Strangers to Ourselves: Unsettled Minds and the Stories That Make Us. New York: Norton.

• ​​Aviv tells the stories of people wrestling with mental illness, weaving together psychiatry, culture, and lived experience. The result is a profound meditation on how we narrate our inner lives, and how those stories shape both suffering and healing. I found it a reminder that mental health is never just biology—it’s also meaning and relationship.

Bauerlein, Mark, ed. 2011. The Digital Divide: Arguments for and Against Facebook, Google, Texting, and the Age of Social Networking. New York: Tarcher/Perigee. 

• This collection gathers early reflections—some prophetic, some now outdated—on how social media would reshape culture and attention. Reading it today, you see how much was already clear more than a decade ago. It’s worth dipping into for perspective, both to see how we got here and to realize how much we ignored the warnings.

Crouch, Andy. 2022. The Life We’re Looking For: Reclaiming Relationship in a Technological World. Nashville: Convergent. 

• ​​Crouch argues that the deepest loss of our technological age isn’t productivity but personhood. He writes with unusual clarity about how we’re made for recognition, love, and presence—and how the “superpower” of technology tempts us to trade those things for efficiency. It’s a hopeful book, inviting us to imagine life where our tools serve relationships rather than replace them.

Dennis-Tiwary, Tracy. 2022. Future Tense: Why Anxiety Is Good For You (Even Though It Feels Bad). New Haven: Yale University Press. 

• Dennis-Tiwary reframes anxiety, not as a disease to be eliminated, but as an emotion that points us toward possibility. In a digital culture that amplifies fear and comparison, her research shows why anxiety can actually foster growth and resilience when we listen to it well. 

Freitas, Donna. 2017. The Happiness Effect: How Social Media Is Driving a Generation to Appear Perfect at Any Cost. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 

• Based on hundreds of interviews with college students, Freitas reveals how social media pressures young adults to curate flawless online selves. The result is anxiety, exhaustion, and loneliness—what she calls “the happiness effect.” It’s an eye-opening book if you want to understand the hidden costs behind the highlight reels.

Haidt, Jonathan. 2024. The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness. New York: Penguin Press. 

• Haidt makes the case that smartphones and social media fundamentally altered childhood, producing historic spikes in anxiety, depression, and loneliness. He combines hard data with policy proposals, including banning phones in schools. Whether you agree with every solution or not, the book is hard to ignore—it feels like a cultural reckoning with what we’ve done to our kids.

Hari, Johann. 2022. Stolen Focus: Why You Can’t Pay Attention—and How to Think Deeply Again. New York: Crown. 

• Hari investigates why it feels impossible to focus anymore, tracing the problem from dopamine-hijacking apps to collapsing sleep schedules. He writes in a journalistic, deeply personal style, weaving his own struggles with the research. For me, it lands as both diagnosis and invitation—to recover the possibility of sustained attention in a distracted age.

Kim, Jay Y. 2022. Analog Christian: Cultivating Contentment, Resilience, and Wisdom in the Digital Age. Downers Grove, IL: IVP. 

• Kim argues that following Jesus means cultivating the slow virtues—contentment, patience, wisdom—in a world that prizes speed, comparison, and outrage. He writes as a pastor immersed in digital culture but committed to an alternative way of life. If you’ve ever felt spiritually frayed by your phone, this is a refreshing companion.

Lanier, Jaron. 2020. Ten Arguments for Deleting Your Social Media Accounts Right Now. New York: Holt. 

• Lanier, a pioneer of virtual reality, lays out a blunt, urgent case for leaving social platforms altogether. His arguments are less about moral panic and more about human dignity: our minds and relationships are too precious to be sold as data. Even if you’re not ready to delete, the book sharpens your sense of what’s at stake.

Levy, David. 2020. Mindful Tech: How to Bring Balance to Our Digital Lives. 2nd ed. New Haven: Yale University Press. 

• Levy, a computer scientist turned mindfulness teacher, gives simple practices for being present even while using screens. Instead of just saying “unplug,” he shows how awareness can reshape the very way we email, scroll, and type. It’s a thoughtful, gentle book for those who can’t leave technology but don’t want to be ruled by it.

Martin, Chris. 2022. Terms of Service: The Real Cost of Social Media. Nashville: B&H. 

• Martin combines journalism, theology, and cultural analysis to show how social media monetizes our relationships and attention. He’s especially insightful on how this economy shapes our sense of identity and truth. If you’ve ever wondered why social media feels so spiritually corrosive, this book puts words to the unease.

Newport, Cal. 2019. Digital Minimalism: Choosing a Focused Life in a Noisy World. New York: Portfolio. 

• Newport proposes a philosophy of intentional screen use: cut out the noise, and let only what truly matters back in. He pairs practical “digital declutter” steps with a deeper reflection on meaning and attention. It’s become a touchstone for those of us who sense we need more than hacks—we need a philosophy of technology.

Newport, Cal. 2021. A World Without Email: Reimagining Work in an Age of Communication Overload. New York: Portfolio. 

• Newport shows how email and chat apps drain focus and mental health. He makes a compelling case for rethinking workflows around attention rather than availability. If you’ve ever felt your brain shredded by constant notifications, this is both validation and blueprint.

Primack, Brian. 2021. You Are What You Click: How Being Selective, Positive, and Creative Can Transform Your Social Media Experience. New York: Penguin. 

• Primack, a physician and researcher, argues that while social media can be toxic, small intentional choices radically shape its impact on our well-being. He gives practical advice rooted in research, not moralizing. It’s one of the few books that left many feeling empowered, not just warned.

Roose, Kevin. 2021. Futureproof: 9 Rules for Humans in the Age of Automation. New York: Random House. 

• Roose is a tech columnist who refuses to accept that automation means the end of humanity. His “rules” are really practices for staying human—fostering empathy, creativity, and resilience. I found it encouraging: technology may be changing everything, but we still have choices about what kind of people we become.

Shimada, Naomi, and Sarah Raphael. 2020. Mixed Feelings: Exploring the Emotional Impact of Our Digital Habits. London: Abrams. 

• This is a beautifully illustrated book exploring how social media makes us both connected and lonely, empowered and insecure. It reads like a set of intimate conversations about our ambivalence toward screens. It’s perfect if you want something reflective, honest, and artful.

Turkle, Sherry. 2015. Reclaiming Conversation: The Power of Talk in a Digital Age. New York: Penguin. 

• ​​Turkle argues that in losing face-to-face conversation, we’ve lost the foundation of empathy and community. Drawing on years of research, she shows how even small devices on the table change intimacy. It’s one of those books that makes you want to put your phone down and really look at the person across from you.

Twenge, Jean M. 2017. iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy. New York: Atria. 

• Twenge uses massive survey data to trace how smartphones transformed an entire generation’s mental health and social world. Her claim that smartphones are at the center of a teen mental health crisis sparked fierce debate. Whether you agree with every conclusion or not, you can’t avoid the importance of her data.