Hobbyist Academia #44
Much of my reading the past couple weeks has centered around rethinking social interactions: how can we spend time together differently, communicate differently, and reimagine the way technology mediates our interactions? On a related note, how do we exist in the world in relation to our technology?
Read
Carly Burr of Offline Worldwide wrote about hosting an in-person event where people left their phones at the door and had real, deep discussions about how social media makes us feel. The most resonant observation was that social media makes us feel numb, caught in an endless loop of stimulation overload, watching other people’s highlight reels and going through the motions of our own days.
One way to feel more connected might be voice notes: halfway between a phone call, a text, and a video call, asynchronous but rich in paralinguistic context, almost like a live window into the exact moment in which the person recorded the note. (This was a great share from Megan Weisenberger on LinkedIn.)
Spending unstructured time with friends- just hanging out, no big plan or task to accomplish- is actually really nourishing for relationships and social health. This article talks about why this type of hangout has declined, and how to get it back. (I found this one from the Time Intentional newsletter.)
I found this light hearted but thought provoking article about maître d’s from Sunday Scaries. It’s a compelling behind-the-scenes look at how the maître d’s at famous restaurants finesse the social interactions required to keep regulars, VIPs, and all the other guests flowing and happy in a dining room.
Ingrid Fetell Lee, joy expert, shared a counterintuitive approach to coping with chaos: channeling flow rather than order.
David Mattin’s recent edition of New World Same Humans poses a simple question to cut through the noise and panic about the increasing capabilities of AI and machines: what are the things that only a human- perhaps only a specific human- can do? It’s a heartening perspective.
A recent edition of Differentiated Design is about how to cultivate your personal interior design style- but the process Hans shares is really a broader framework for how to approach life and how to observe and pay attention to the world.
The Slowdown welcomed a new deputy editor with a Q+A about her intentional relationship with media. I also enjoyed the observation of an inflection point in our broader culture of a desire for places that are slower, with space to think. The Slowdown is becoming “a garden on the internet.”
A recent edition of Break Free from the Internet made an interesting point about how the availability of data at our fingertips combined with our natural propensity to seek information is what creates a perfect storm of compulsively checking things and looking things up on our phones.
Engage and Interact
The Luddite Club is a student-led nonprofit aiming to empower young people to unplug and break free of addictive technology through community and knowledge. They have a snail mail newsletter and club chapters around the world. (I found this via David Spinks.)
Watch
Kasley Killam’s TED Talk is out now! She speaks about social health as the secret to happiness and longevity. She’s a pioneer in the social health space, making the case for giving it the same attention we give our physical or mental health.
Save This for Later
A Story is a Deal: How to Use the Science of Storytelling to Lead, Motivate and Persuade by Will Storr
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