Hobbyist Academia #38
Touchpoints are the basic building blocks of connection: saying hello to a familiar face, a quick chat when you run into someone you know, a text to check in on a friend or to make plans. Touchpoints are mini moments of feeling connected. Touchpoints are a long game, compounding over time as you progress from acquaintance to friend or sustain a professional relationship with someone in your broader network.
Different types and cadences of touchpoints make sense for different types of connections, and both planned and spontaneous touchpoints can be systematized. A systems thinking approach may seem to lend itself better to planned interactions, but you can have systems for increasing spontaneous interactions too. It’s all about creating opportunities and situations where you’ll run into people you know.
Systems are where technology comes in- and where it’s really important to think through how technology can be a tool to augment being a connector instead of driving further isolation and disconnection.
Watching someone’s Instagram story as part of a seemingly endless doomscroll on your phone and promptly forgetting everything you consumed? Not helping you connect. Probably making you feel lonelier when you finally put your phone down.
Seeing an exciting update from a friend on social media and then actually texting them or mentioning it in person the next time you see them? Helping you connect. Creating a meaningful touchpoint. Setting a reminder to reach out to a friend when they get back from a trip? Helping you connect. Creating a meaningful touchpoint.
We live in a hybrid world, and technology is an inescapable part of meaningfully participating in modern society. But technology is at its best when it’s a passive tool we can use, and not operating with its own agenda to turn our time and attention into a commodity to be sold to the highest bidder.
Attend
A bit last minute, but Debbie Millman of the Design Matters podcast is interviewing Seth Godin tomorrow morning with CreativeMornings! You can join the waitlist for an in-person spot if you’re in New York City, or register for the Livestream from anywhere.
Read
Applied behavioral scientist Matt Wallaert recently launched a newsletter, An N of 1. I like the way he thinks about the interaction between technology and human behavior.
The House of Beautiful Business has published an exploration of how to use AI beyond efficiency gains by focusing on how AI can drive values of agency, recognition, impact, and intimacy.
Futurist Rishad Tobaccowala has a new book coming out about how work is changing and how we can thrive in the new world of work. He announced it with a thought-provoking book launch essay. (I’ll include a pre-order link for the book itself in the book section later.)
Alex Dobrenko interviewed Douglas Rushkoff as part of a series of interviews for Whoa, Volume 1, a limited edition print publication from Sublime. This excerpt from the interview talks about the space in between the ticks of a clock as a metaphor for where humans are breathing and living against the backdrop of technology.
Listen
Matt Klein also interviewed Douglas Rushkoff recently for a podcast episode of ZINE. Douglas Rushkoff’s seminal work was a book published 15 years ago about how to navigate emerging technologies pulling us into an “always on” digital world. Matt and Douglas discuss how to reclaim a slower, more human pace in the face of machines and technology seeming to demand always more. The concept of letting content ideas develop organically instead of on an arbitrary timeline really resonated with me. Program or Be Programmed was originally about the Internet, but the newest edition (included in the book section later) applies these principles to AI.
Engage and Interact
A recent episode/edition of the Social Media Escape Club is a read/watch/listen endeavor. Seth Werkheiser interviews Colin Czerwinski about how to find the right rooms, spaces (whether digital or IRL) where the people who are interested in your creative work are already hanging out.
Metalabel’s mission is to lead us into a New Creative Era, one where creatives can collaborate, build wealth, and lead. This inspiring essay includes their vision and roadmap, as well as an invitation to release work on the platform.
Save This for Later
Two books- both of which can be traced back to where I found them above. Much of the time I have no idea how or where a book got added to my list when I come back to it later, so this was a nice change of pace.
Program or Be Programmed: Eleven Commands for the AI Future by Douglas Rushkoff
Rethinking Work: Seismic Changes in the Where, When, and Why by Rishad Tobaccowala
For more, check out The Collection on my website for curated media recommendations at the intersection of digital sociology, design, business, and personal development.
[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.]