Agalia Tan

Scrolling displaces observation, shuts out occasions for self-generated thought, silences out-of-the-blue invitations. Checking the phone reroutes the discomfort of blankness and emptiness. It stoppers authentic—often anxious—waiting.

PowerPoints have long dredged up flashbacks of dull meetings and interminable briefings, with some even calling for the presentation software to be banned. But it’s gotten a makeover in recent years, with millennials and Gen Zers repurposing the software for social entertainment: A workplace and educational tool by day has become a zany social game... See more

And here’s what’s really sad: Many, many people in this world are terrified of real connection that unfolds in real time. This means that anything that makes you seem real will set them on edge. They would prefer a painted backdrop, where they can mouth the same lines and get the same predictable responses from everyone they meet. They don’t even... See more

An essay is not a vehicle of knowledge transmission; it is a landscape to think in, and a path to get there.

Look at nature itself. Trees don't apologise for shedding their leaves. Bears don't feel guilty about hibernating. The moon doesn't try to stay full all month. Yet we've convinced ourselves that constant output, constant consumption, constant "productivity" is the only way forward.

It’s madness.