Is the future analog?

I’ve always been fascinated by technology. I remember sitting in a meeting years ago at Xerox learning about OCR and thinking it felt revolutionary. At the time it was.

Fast forward, and my interest has evolved into a serious focus on AI, largely because I’ve always believed in working smarter, designing systems, and creating freedom of time.

Gary Vaynerchuk recently wrote about a potential shift back toward analog. WhileI firmly believe AI is not optional (it’s foundational) I also sense a feeling of fatigue. It’s moving fast, we are constantly bombarded with new tools and tech - it’s a little tiring. We may be more connected than ever, yet increasingly craving what feels real, tangible, and human.

Service-based industries like wellness, skin, beauty, aesthetics are built on touch, presence, ritual. We’re seeing growth in co-working spaces, members’ clubs, communities. After years of digital acceleration and physical separation, people appear to be gravitating back toward shared spaces, to deeper connection.

I value the efficiency of being able to run parts of my life from a phone. I am also hyper aware of the cost. The constant accessibility, the constant reflex to pick up and check notifications, scrolling.

Perhaps the future isn’t analog or digital. It’s about being more intentional.

Whether we return to analog is unclear, but the desire for depth, presence, and community feels less like nostalgia and more like a correction. Time will tell.

As someone who occasionally daydreams about shutting it all down, buying land, and living simply, I have to admit - the thought of unplugging holds a certain appeal.

Perhaps the shift isn’t in rejecting technology, but in redefining our relationship with it.