Meet The Slowdown

A publication for a new moment in technology and culture.

2019 is the Year of Slowing Down. That might be a hard line to buy, but stay with me.

Take the fact that meditation — once thought for hippies and the spiritually devout — is now mainstream in the West. Mindfulness, the simple (but not easy) practice of paying attention to the present moment, has been proven to reduce stress and increase clarity and focus. Neuroscience studies show fundamental changes in brain architecture that prove that slowing down can heighten our awareness and response rate.

It can also strengthen our creativity, which is one of the most important skills we’ll need in the future, according to The World Economic Forum’s 2018 Future of Jobs Report. It makes sense: Routine tasks can be automated, but there’s no substitute for human ingenuity. Creativity isn’t just a necessary job skill; it’s essential to our spirit. Pursuing the transcendent might be one of the best things we can do to cope with the complexity of modern life.

Now consider the reckoning that’s happening in Big Tech, and the ripple effects it’s having on corporate culture. “Move fast and break things,” the rallying cry that echoed across Silicon Valley and galvanized innovators everywhere, turned out to be short-sighted. What broke was our trust. What we’ve learned — particularly since the 2016 election — is that our technology decisions have far-reaching consequences. The stakes have changed.

Says Farhad Manjoo for The New York Times, “The lesson of the last decade is that our private tech choices can alter economies and societies. They matter. And they matter most in the mindless rush, when everyone seems to be jumping on board the latest new thing, because it’s in these heady moments that we lose sight of the precise risks of turning ourselves over to tech.”

So what’s all this have to do with this new publication called The Slowdown? Everything. We’re interested in the surprising ways tech, creativity, and culture converge, and what we can learn from challenging our assumptions. We’re sharing stories about how blockchain could improve the quality and veracity of our news. Looking at what train signage can teach us about inclusive design. Teaching you how to apply an agile methodology to up your Tinder game.

We’re here for this new dawn of consideration and connection. Thanks for taking a time-out with us, and happy reading.