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Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
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English
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THE FUTURE IS ANALOG

David Sax

How to Create a More Human World

The beloved author of The Revenge of Analog lays out a case for a human future--not the false technological utopia we've been living.
For years, consumers have been promised a simple, carefree digital future. We could live, work, learn, and play from the comforts of our homes, and have whatever we desire brought to our door with the flick of a finger. Instant communication would bring us together. Technological convenience would give us more time to focus on what really mattered.

When the pandemic hit, that future transformed into the present, almost overnight. And the reviews aren't great. It turns out that leaving the house is underrated, instant communication spreads anger better than joy, and convenience takes away time rather than giving it to us. Oops.

But as David Sax argues in this insightful book, we've also had our eyes opened. There is nothing about the future that has to be digital, and embracing the reality of human experience doesn't mean resisting change. In chapters exploring work, school, leisure, and more, Sax asks perceptive and pointed questions: what happens to struggling students when they're not in a classroom? If our software is built for productivity, who tends to the social and cultural aspects of our jobs? Can you have religion without community?

For many people, the best parts of quarantine have been the least digital ones: baking bread, playing board games, going hiking. We used our hands and hugged our children and breathed fresh air. This book suggests that if we want a healthy future, we need to choose not convenience but community, not technology but humanity.

David Sax is a writer, reporter, and speaker who specializes in business and culture. His book The Revenge of Analog was a #1 Washington Post bestseller, was selected as one of Michiko Kakutani's Top Ten books of 2016 for the New York Times, and has been translated into seven languages. He is also the author of three other books: Save the Deli, which won a James Beard award, The Soul of an Entrepreneur, and The Tastemakers. He lives in Toronto.
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Published 2022-11-15 by Public Affairs

Comments

Whether you're talking about physical media or ornately-engineered watches, the analog continues to have a place in an increasingly digital world. In David Sax's new book, Sax explores the pros and cons of that uptick in digitization, and ponders its up and down sides. Sax has explored this territory before, and it's intriguing to see what his new conclusions are. Read more...

China: China Translation & Publishing House ; Korea: Across Publishing

Please read this book (the paper version if possible) and discuss it with friends and colleagues (in person over a coffee if possible).

David Sax's piece for Tablet based on THE FUTURE IS ANALOG is live: "It's Time to Show Up - Being Jewish means being togetherin synagogue, at the JCC, at the deli"... Read more...

Sax brilliantly investigated how we saw the future living online during the pandemic and were reminded of the ineffable beauty and humanity of being present without screens. The Future Is Analog is the perfect guide to help us stay focused on what matters in the blinding light of a technology-filled world.

The Future Is Analog is a must-read book if you want to return to what really matters in life: authentic connections, conversations, and depth of character. My only wish is I could have submitted this quote in pencil.

David Sax recently had a piece on the theme of "analog" in in the Globe & Mail called "The good life begins outdoors" Read more...

...approachable, witty... [a] deft, colorful discussion. Read more...

David Sax recently had a piece on the theme of "analog" in the New York Times Sunday Review entitled "Why Strangers Are Good for Us" Read more...

David Sax convincingly argues that the dream of an effortless digital future is deeply flawed. If we learn anything lasting from the pandemic, it should be that a meaningful life requires messy, wonderful, analog connections with the world around us.

...Sax calls this work a manifesto, a call to arms to invest in the analog world right now... he builds a case for being intentional with what you want to create in your life and how to do it. Good advice for all of us as we navigate an increasingly complex world. Read more...

During the pandemic, learning, working, worshipping and living at home through technology showed an all-digital future wasn't necessarily best. Sax argues that a healthy future requires community, not just technology. Read more...

There is magic in live. There is magic in real. There is magic in analog. This book is a loud and much-needed back crack for our twisted techno-obsessed society.

...Sax presents a solid case that technology should keep the "real world front and center." This up-close look at the costs of digital convenience delivers. Read more...