Strategies for Digital-Analog Harmony

This entry kickstarted my April-June traveler’s notebook, reflecting on the downstream effects of AI and digitalization.

“For every force, there is an opposing force of equal strength.

In this age of steel, bits and silicon, there will be an emerging human movement - a crying out for meaning, art, and beauty. Appreciation for imperfection.

Humans are not optimization problems to be solved. We are beings to be experienced, entire worlds to be explored, to be understood, to be shared and expressed.

Yes, we are alone in our deepest levels, yet it does not have to be dark.

Today I want to light a candle in another's world.

Burn, burn, burn for as brightly and as long as we can.”

With so much automation and digitalization on the horizon, I hypothesize that there will be a growing need for more analog and in-real-life (IRL) experiences.

Technological advances are usually pushed in the name of progress, productivity and economic growth by the powers that be. But if we individually and collectively continue to feel unhappy with our present and pessimistic about the future, then it will lead to backlash.

In economics, what is 1) desirable and 2) scarce goes up in value. We are only in the first phase of generative AI, yet it is already proving to be the ultimate content making machine. In a reality where content is realistic (but not reliable), cheap and flooding our screens, trust and connection will become scarce. IRL experiences (i.e. consumption) will be much more valuable as a result because we can at least trust another human being and what is tangible in front of us.

This is in parallel to the rise in analog methods of experience capture such as journaling, drawing and film photography over smartphones. The benefits of analog living are already widely written about, so I won’t go into that here. At the same time, I’m also not trying to idealize some nostalgic analog past. Those bygone eras were replaced for good reason.

Instead I’d like to present two strategies for balancing the digital and analog, so we can strike a harmonious balance between technological progress and personal growth.

Strategy #1: When

The "When" is about being intentional with boundaries that protect our personal sanctuaries from the relentless digital world. Establish a daily screen curfew and weekend digital detoxes - create restorative spaces where we can breathe freely, unhurried by blinking cursors and notifications. Limit digital immersion to the workplace and productive pursuits, allowing us to still harness technology's efficiencies while preserving personal time.

My philosophy is to use the digital to facilitate the analog. When I was in Taiwan, I had the chance to experience three laptop-free weeks. Phone use was limited to texting and Google maps. So it was either coordinating or navigating to a place to meet people. During that time, I've never been so happy. I realized I got burned out because, since the pandemic, so much of my social interactions have just been virtual over Zoom.

Strategy #2: How

As for the "How" - fill these analog spaces with practices that cultivate patience and connection. Writing by hand anchors us in the present moment. Tending a garden reminds us how it is to work with our hands to generate life. Sketching landscapes hones observation and discernment. Learning a new language forces us to rewire our minds, but rewards us with the possibility to explore new social worlds. Here are a few ideas from my analog-leaning friends who "gamify" their behavior with creative constraints - limit yourself to only 24 film photographs on vacation, commit to striking up conversations with strangers weekly, stand in the longest grocery line on Sundays.

I personally journal every morning at 7am before work and have a strict laptop shutdown time of 5pm. Until 9pm, I’m prioritizing IRL experiences like taking a walk, catching up with friends or eating dinner outside by the water.

These self-imposed "frictions" transform patience from a chore into an enriching challenge while reducing our social anxiety and confronting imperfection.

I’m curious - how do you find balance between the digital and the analog?

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