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Join psychologist and professor Isabela Granic, PhD, an expert in mindful and creativity-boosting technology use, and her co-hosts as she explores the hopeful, confusing, and transformative sides of our online/offline hybrid lives. Each of the salons in this monthly series will consider the perils and promises at the intersections of tech-based developments and traditionally offline environments
With the inception of the internet and near-ubiquitous mobile connections, societies across the globe are in the midst of massive cultural and social transformations, reminiscent of the advent of the printing press and the industrial revolution. Digital “screens” – and the platforms, games, and apps that run behind them – are no longer simply entertainment devices and distractions. Rather, digital activity now encompasses all facets of life, including work, education, learning, and socializing and these facets are inextricably linked to our offline activities. Yet, most of the media headlines and the bulk of social science research insists on focusing on strictly the “pathological”, addictive, violent, and depression-related elements of our digital experiences. This focus on purely the negative outcomes of digital activity is missing so much. On the other hand, the global pandemic has made many of us nostalgic for our offline lives, as we yearn for meeting fellow students and colleagues face-to-face on our lunch break, dancing all night with our sweaty friends, and going to live concerts with like-hearted strangers. As we move tentatively out of the pandemic, in fits and starts, we find ourselves emerging into a new hybrid reality, a reality that’s transforming our workplaces, our social lives, our creative collaborations, and our sense of the possible.
We will start broadly, by considering social spaces and how they differ on- and offline and the various ways they meet our needs for belonging and connection. We will cover the “Future of Work,” its relation to the “Great Resignation,” and whether and how these relate to increasingly virtual and remote work requirements. We will consider the hype and genuine innovations of DAOs for revitalizing creative communities. And we will explore the exciting (and sometimes surprising) benefits of current video games for improving mental health and emotional thriving. New topics will be added monthly to reflect the most pressing and aspirational perspectives on Our Hybrid Lives.
These salons will usually run on the first Tuesday of every month
10 pm Berlin, 9pm London, 4pm New York
This is a monthly salon track. While you can attend individual salons within the track, it is highly recommended that you acquire an Interintellect membership: this will give you ongoing access to the community forum on Discord, discounts on all of our salons, and more.
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# Date Episode 1 March 1, 2022 This Is Where We Belong: Finding Connection and Community in Our Hybrid Lives
Humans need to gather and connect with one another in order to thrive and feel at their best. Social connection makes us feel safe, alive, brave, and creative. We are currently living in a time of precarious social transformation: our gathering spaces span physical and digital contexts and we’re discovering unexpected in-between spaces that have surprised us in their potential for connection. Come talk about your trials and triumphs in all those Discord servers, on Tinder dates, and at Clubhouse poetry readings. We want to hear about all of the zoom rooms that spilled into falling in love, building your offline commune, finding your bandmates, connecting with your startup crew, and partying with your Twitter pals. We’ll talk about the science of belonging and how our hybrid lives are sometimes meeting our social needs and sometimes leaving us wanting for more.2 April 5, 2022 Re-Imagining Work in our Hybrid Lives
“The Great Resignation” has swept North America and is slowly moving towards other societies across the globe. People who remain engaged in the careers they have chosen are seeing their everyday work-lives transform dramatically. Many of us are working mostly from home, online and from remote offices. Others are being “forced” back into offices that they no longer feel are optimal. The best workplaces are trying to find hybrid solutions, but it’s unclear what works best, in what conditions, and for whom. There is also an increasing sense of unrest, with Millennials and GenZ youth questioning how work itself can be re-imagined. Join us in a conversation about what the future of work can look like, how much of it should be remote versus “in person”, who should be making those choices, and how our “ideal” work context might be designed.3 May 13, 2022 Parenting in the Digital Age
In this salon, we’ll focus on both millenia-old and completely novel parenting challenges that are top-of-mind for a new generation of parents. This salon is for anyone personally or professionally interested in the intersection of parenting and technology, particularly social technologies. If you’re a parent yourself, if you’re hoping to become one, if you’re curious about the cultural consequences of parenting in the digital age, or if you’re a young person yourself who has just emerged into adulthood and curious about your own experiences with your parent(s), come join this discussion.4 June 6, 2022 TOPICS WILL BE UPDATED ON AN ONGOING BASIS
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