We meet less and less in real life

#179

My Dear Friend of Democracy,

If democracy needs encounters and exchanges, and if in-person encounters have a fundamentally different quality than digital debates, then this chart should give us cause for concern:

This chart only takes in-person connections into account. I took it from the blog LessWrong; the data in the graph is provided by this paper.

✊ What to do? Less digital use, more real encounters! What is good for democracy is also good for you. There is tons of evidence that if you limit how often you use your phone, you will notice life-changing benefits, including:

• less chronic stress and anxiety,

• more clarity,

• deeper connections with others,

• sharper critical thinking and creativity,

• more mindfulness,

• more gratitude and

• a healthier body.

See you in Europe,

Johannes