De-techtualization

Tech companies are clamoring to re-buttonize their products

Meanwhile in China, Xiaomi has accessory options for customers to add their own physical controls.

Volkswagen is bringing back physical buttons

Milk was a respite from the coldness and isolation of the modern age. Newer conveniences such as canned condensed milk and milk delivery could save time and money, he acknowledged, but at a spiritual cost.

Downgrading is the radical decision to step backward in an age of dizzying, almost compulsory forward momentum. I have watched many people attempt to reduce their screen time, an agonizing process requiring constant vigilance and self-restraint. Removing the option altogether, I’ve found, is the surest way out.

At one point in the interview she talks about screen fatigue leading people to crave more tactile experiences, and I think that’s a big part of it. It seems like every device we use today has a screen interface, and it’s exhausting:

Plotnick: We spend all our days and nights on these devices, scrolling or constantly flipping through pages and

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It’s just another weird way that, as I’ve written about before, tech is going too far in attempts to reduce any kind of friction in our lives.

Anything a friend once did, apps do “better.” Instead of a friend picking you up from the airport, you summon an Uber. Instead of taking food to a sick friend stuck at home, they order Instacart. Even Venmo,

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