Oh, the humanity!

by Don Ball (old account 1) | at MinneBar 14

Digital culture has me feeling grumpy these days. I have a list of complaints (see below). It could also just be winter.

If you’re feeling curmudgeonly for whatever reason, let’s help each other snap out of it. At this session, we will:

  • Make cocktails

  • Play vinyl

  • Have a conversation about the threadbare state of digital culture...

  • ...and how to cultivate our own humanity in all its non-digital, non-sequitur, illogical, unproductive and beautiful aspects.

That’s all you need to know, really.

My complaints? Well, if you insist, here goes:

  • Hustle porn – does anyone really need to work 80 hours a week?

  • Success & productivity porn - can we stop with the listicles that enumerate exactly how we need to be like other people to find happiness?

  • As long as we’re on the subject, this incessant focus on happiness certainly can’t be healthy.

  • Startup culture. Yes, be an entrepreneur. But does everything have to scale? Do we really need to grovel for venture capital? And talk about role models – is it just possible that many unicorn founders are imbalanced people who didn't get enough hugs in childhood?

  • Twitter has become toxic. As an early adopter, this makes me sad.

  • Social media influencers can just get the f*ck off my lawn.

So, what’s your take? Please come and share. But lest we descent into a grump-off, please also tell us about all the things you do and think about that make you human:

  • Do you have any weird hobbies?

  • Do you volunteer?

  • Do you read books not about coding, business and hustling?

  • Do you write or make art?

  • If you could time travel for a day, where and when would you go?

  • Do you play music?

  • Do you know your family history?

  • Have you tried a digital detox?

  • Have you tried psychedelics?

All levels

Don Ball (old account 1)

I'm a long-time Minnebar attendee and the occasional session-holder.

I'm a writer by training. Enthusiasms include:

  • Cocktails

  • Cooking

  • History and archaeology

  • 1/35 scale military models

  • Genealogy

  • Abstract painting (no, really)

The tech that I enjoy most is of the mad-scientist kind.

My day job is co-founder and chief social officer at Fueled Collective, MN's original and largest locally-owned coworking space.