PROXIMITY AND PRESENCE

I set up at a punk rock flea market last weekend with a friend, along with a stack of neon flyers and some old music gear to sell. I made some good sales, but I also had some great conversations.

A dozen people stopped by to talk about quitting social media, ditching Spotify, or just wanting something beyond the feed. Some chats were lighthearted, and others felt almost like confessions. What struck me was how different it felt compared to sending out a newsletter or posting online. The proximity, the in-person energy, it all gave the words so much more weight.

It made me wonder: what if we built more spaces like this? Not just tables with stuff to sell, but couches, chairs, maybe even a little “confession booth” for honest conversations about our relationship with these platforms. That’s where the real escape feels possible, not just by deleting some apps, but in the spaces we make to talk openly and honestly about spending less time on our phones.

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