How I Found Connection in Isolation By Unplugging for Deeper Thought

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This past November, I took my sister with me to vote—and what happened at the door completely caught me off guard. I was stopped and told to turn off my phone. But there was a problem: I had no idea how to do that. In fact, since I bought my iPhone, I’d never intentionally turned it off; if it went dark, it was only because it ran out of battery. That realization was a little scary.

After fumbling through the settings, I finally managed to power down my phone. Feeling embarrassed and not wanting to create a scene in a crowded early-voting center, I kept quiet and walked on. In the midst of long, winding queues, my sister and I eventually got separated.

I finished voting and stepped outside, nearly forgetting I had come with someone. Of course, my sister was still inside, phone off, unreachable. So I started asking people leaving the center if they’d seen her: “She looks just like me—just much shorter.” (I know she’s reading this and laughing! 😂)

Eventually, I found her, but I couldn’t shake the realization: My phone is always on. A few days later, I turned off the “always-on” display. Then I took it a step further—I grayscale-filtered my phone, stripping away the vibrant, attention-grabbing colors of addictive apps. I reorganized my home screen, turning it into a pseudo-dumb phone. My goal? To reclaim my phone as a useful tool rather than letting it command my attention.

My new Home Screen and exposure of where my priorities lie lol

As a knowledge worker, my days are filled with thinking, reading, and writing—activities that demand long stretches of focused time. Yet, that very focus can also lead to feelings of isolation. I experienced this acutely during a challenging period in my PhD program when I needed to pivot my dissertation. Isolated by the nature of solo work and having left the vibrant campus life behind, I found myself starved for deep intellectual connection.

Desperate for a change, I reached out to a few brilliant friends and invited them to dinner—with one non-negotiable condition: no phones allowed. Even though everyone had demanding careers completely different from mine, I was determined to disconnect.

Honestly, part of me feared if I saw an email from my dissertation committee asking for the update due, my night would be ruined. So, we collected our phones at the center of the table and spent four hours immersed in lively, intellectual debates. By the end of the night, I was buzzing with fresh ideas and new friendships.

That evening not only revitalized my spirit but also reshaped my research. I sent a new outline to my dissertation committee, and soon, my ideas gained traction—leading to invitations for talks and lectures. After a long hiatus from public speaking, I felt it was finally time to share my ideas with the world again.

Out of this transformative period, Analog Social was born—a community designed for deep thinkers to connect, share, and inspire one another. I ask myself: What if we all had a space where deep thinkers could spark the next generation of innovative ideas, art, and movements?

Whether you’re painting an intimate portrait, writing long lines of code, writing a novel, contemplating a new way of living and being in the world–whatever preoccupies your moments of devotion, I believe this community will be a place for you to grow roots leading to a cross-fertilization of ideas.

I want this community to be a place for people deeply committed to the pursuit of deep critical thinking to find others who share that same commitment.

I’m not certain what the future holds, but I do know one thing: I want every one of you to experience that jolt of ingenuity that comes from engaging in meaningful conversations. This is just a glimpse into my story. As I write this late at night after a long day of reading and writing, I remain convinced that great ideas can flourish anywhere, especially when we come together to hold space for them.

There are thousands of you subscribed to this newsletter, and while I can’t meet every one of you in person, I truly value your insights. Your feedback will help shape the future of Analog Social.

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I can’t build this vision alone, and I’m already so grateful for the team of people helping bring Analog Social to life. Let’s create something incredible, together. Feel free to reply to this email or comment below if you’d like to chat!

Warmly,

Shae✨

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