Ep. 400: Should I Embrace “Slow Technology”?

If I had to use one word to describe modern digital tools, it would be fast. Now, whether we're talking about workplace communication or swarms of AI agents or even apps for ordering food, the focus always seems to be on reducing friction and increasing the options available to get people through whatever tasks they're thinking about as quickly as possible. Now the speed, of course, has a a negative side effect. It's exhausting. It reduces so much of our life to a frantic blur of swipes and taps and clicks, all in a sort of never-ending battle to keep up with the ceaseless barrage of incoming information.

But what can we do? Going faster has to make us more productive, right? Or does it? You see, there's a growing subculture of individuals who are embracing simpler technologies that offer less features and more friction. And they're not doing this as a political statement and they're not doing this because they're nostalgic, but instead because they think these more minimal tools actually makes them better at their work and makes their life more livable.

I call this movement slow technology, and it's what I want to talk about today. Now to help us better understand it, we're going to be joined by Amy Timberlake, who is an acclaimed best-selling author of children's and middle grades books. Timberlake has won countless distinctions, including a Newberry Honor and an Edgar Award. Her titles have been named to As far as I can tell, just about every best book of the year list in existence.

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