The Future Is Analog?! How could someone suggest that in 2022?
The Covid-19 pandemic upended many aspects of society, but fortunately, technology saved us. Thanks to digital tech, we kept working, learning, conversing. Our new remote lives were so wonderful, in fact, that this digital utopia was here to stay. Right?
Not quite.
As we quickly learned through Zoom fatigue and dealing with stir crazy kids attempting to replace the classroom with a laptop, fully digital life kind of sucked. In The Future Is Analog, author David Sax deep dives into several aspects of tech utopia that haven’t quite panned out. He argues that in certain areas of life, we should be wary of claims that modern technology can adequately replace human connection.
The Revenge of Analog
In 2016, Sax wrote The Revenge of Analog, a fun look at things that were supposed to have been relegated to the past—books, vinyl records, board games—only to come roaring back in recent years despite digital competition. In his latest book, he examines seven major areas of life—work, school, commerce, cities, culture, conversation, and soul—through the lens of pandemic disruption and shows how these things can’t be easily supplanted by digital means.
Is Digital All Bad?
Now, before you dismiss Sax as a Luddite, rest assured he’s not preaching complete digital abstinence. He acknowledges the many benefits of 21st century technology. Heck, he himself has worked at least in part remotely throughout his career. But he also cautions against total reliance on it.
Sax illustrates his points with a mix of data, quotes from experts, and his own personal experiences. He reminds us, for example, just how brutal remote learning was for many children (not to mention their exhausted teachers and parents). He details how televised music or theater performances just don’t compare to being there live. And he discusses how the positivity social media has enabled (Covid info, pro-democracy protests) has historically been offset or outweighed by the negative (conspiracy theories, the rise of demagogues).
Remote or In-Office?
Debate is currently underway (and will likely stay that way for a while) on the merits of remote work versus in-person. Before taking a hard stance on either, you would do well to read Sax’s opening chapter on work.
He takes a refreshingly nuanced approach, writing:
“Debating whether in the future work will take place at the office or at home is actually a distraction from the larger and more significant questions about work that we need to confront.”
These more significant questions are less about where work is done and more about how much meaning work brings to our lives.
With facts, humor, and relatability, The Future Is Analog is an insightful snapshot of society’s current state. Even more important, it’s a call for readers to examine what makes us human and to strive to build more of it into our daily lives.
Order your copy of The Future Is Analog at our Bookshop page.
Listen to our podcast interviews with David: