Hobbyist Academia #29
As I’ve started talking more about Hobbyist Academia, I’ve also iterated on how I tell the story of what this newsletter is for and what it’s about. The four topics make perfect sense in my head: what they mean, how they interconnect, where the outer bounds of the scope of each topic lie. Over the next several editions, I’ll bring you into my thought process before diving into my latest media recommendations.
Digital sociology is the study of how digital media and technology shape our lives: our own behavior, our relationships with each other, our communities, our society, and our culture. I took classes in and around this topic as part of my media theory degree, and I learned how to see the world of past, present, and future through its lens.
Academically, it’s an emerging and interdisciplinary field that sits somewhere between social sciences, the humanities, and the arts. In practice, it can teach us how to be more intentional about our social lives by understanding the role of technology in how we think about ourselves, connect with others, and sustain friendships.
Themes that emerged in this edition’s recommendations include community, experience design, and poetic serendipity.
Read (Shorter)
I’m a longtime follower and fan of the team creating Sublime, dating back to when Sari Azout wrote her Check Your Pulse newsletter. These days, the Sublime team newsletter is one of my favorite philosophical, thought provoking reads. This recent edition from Alex Dobrenko chronicles the incredible story of a mechanical calculator that traversed history, the Internet, and the world to become an integral part of the sound of Sublime.
I first heard Rachel Botsman speak at an author talk; she’s an expert on trust in a digital world. In a recent edition of her newsletter, she wrote about the importance of “collective effervescence,” which is the energy we feel when engaging in communal traditions, rituals, or celebrations. Shared joy may not occur as spontaneously as it used to, but it’s worth intentionally designing it into our lives.
The design industry has historically relied upon a publication called AIGA Eye on Design for preservation of design history. The AIGA recently took down its archives, spurring an important conversation about maintaining a shared history. I found this from Daniel Benneworth-Gray’s newsletter about design, Meanwhile.
Internet Brunch is a Brooklyn branding agency’s culture newsletter. It’s so good I didn’t even realize it was technically a corporate newsletter until very recently- which may say something in itself about authenticity and approaches to building an audience on behalf of a company.
Read (Longer)
David Spinks published part two of an excellent series he's writing about emergent community design, an approach in which we create favorable conditions for community to grow and then embrace letting nature shape the path. Sometimes what arises involves inside jokes about chicken hats. I introduced part one of the series in Hobbyist Academia #25 a couple months ago.
Paul Millerd’s recent newsletter talks about the design of our cities and environments, and the subsequent impact of those design elements and our resulting surroundings on our social lives. He explores different ongoing experiments in alternative ways to live and be in community. What if we made choices that optimize the where and how of a home rather than the specs?
Engage and Interact
If you’re in Berlin, check out Dima Samarin’s latest project. Mitte Daily hosts events, creates community, and offers a new lens on local lifestyle and culture. The next Pétanque Picnic is this Saturday!
Gestalt is a new startup aiming to make data about people more holistic and human.
Project Lakefront in Stockholm is aiming to co-create a “deliberately developmental community” with individuals from various global locations and diverse fields of work. This is a co-living, co-working, co-learning residence opportunity.
I learned about Humanize through Monika Jiang’s work with the platform. Humanize programming takes an intentional approach to technology, aiming to mitigate the divisive, alienating, lonely effects of social media as we know it today.
Save This for Later
I have two more books for the To Read list:
Fragile Neighborhoods: Repairing American Society, One Zip Code at a Time by Seth D. Kaplan
Getting There: A Book of Mentors by Gillian Zoe Segal
For guides to getting started exploring specific topics at the intersection of digital sociology, design, business, and personal development, browse The Collection on my website.
[I will receive a small commission should you purchase a book using the Bookshop links included in the newsletter. Bookshop is an Amazon-alternative online bookseller that supports independent bookstores in your local community.]