Best-selling author David Sax joins me to discuss "analog” as in non-digital conversations and why he believes face-to-face conversations will always be a must in a truly human world. As everyone lived the lockdown phases of pandemic, we all went through similar experiences of being isolated from family and friends, colleagues and classmates and even acquaintances and strangers who aren’t part of our social circle. So when we turned to platforms like Zoom and WhatsApp to fill the void, while they may have been a lifeline, we realized these digital exchanges were not quite the utopia we may have once believed. David brings to light why. Why we were left wanting, sometimes bored, and often zonked out. Beyond the blips of unstable eye contact, static and audio lags, crucial conversation drivers are missing. As he quotes Darren Wisdom in his book, digital chats are more like a "series of statements" than the push and pull, back and forth, the flow of the real thing. Finally, we look at the decline of in-person conversation and why we should care. When I learned that his position has generated some pushback, I was curious about what was going on. I ask him to clarify his thoughts on digital usage for those separated by distance (like he and I during this chat!) or those dealing with limited mobility. David Sax`s latest book is The Future is Analog (2022).
David recommends... camping in Parque Fjords du Saguenay, something about that place is so majestic and inspirational, even in the pouring rain.
