The Future Is Analog

How to Create a More Human World

By: David Sax

Narrated by: David Sax

The beloved author of The Revenge of Analog lays out a case for a human future--not the false technological utopia we've been living.

For years, consumers have been promised a simple, carefree digital future. We could live, work, learn, and play from the comforts of our homes, and have whatever we desire brought to our door with the flick of a finger. Instant communication would bring us together. Technological convenience would give us more time to focus on what really mattered.

When the pandemic hit, that future transformed into the present, almost overnight. And the reviews aren't great. It turns out that leaving the house is underrated, instant communication spreads anger better than joy, and convenience takes away time rather than giving it to us. Oops.

But as David Sax argues in this insightful book, we've also had our eyes opened. There is nothing about the future that has to be digital, and embracing the reality of human experience doesn't mean resisting change. In chapters exploring work, school, leisure, and more, Sax asks perceptive and pointed questions: what happens to struggling students when they're not in a classroom? If our software is built for productivity, who tends to the social and cultural aspects of our jobs? Can you have religion without community?

For many people, the best parts of quarantine have been the least digital ones: baking bread, playing board games, going hiking. We used our hands and hugged our children and breathed fresh air. This book suggests that if we want a healthy future, we need to choose not convenience but community, not technology but humanity.

Critic reviews

“[A]pproachable, witty… [a] deft, colorful discussion."—Kirkus

“David Sax narrates his extended plea for a return to real-life experiences in a world awash in technology. His earnestness is evident in his performance… Listeners will appreciate Sax's affable voice, especially as he conveys truly relatable moments in a never-ending struggle with digital work-life balance.”—Audiofile

Sleeper Candidate for non-Fiction Book of 2022

I loved "The Revenge of Analog", but "The Future Is Analog" is on another level. The stories are more personal, the points made, more timeless. But more so than anything, I deeply enjoyed David's performance in this new book. He sounds more confident than ever, and conveys his emotion perfectly. Often an author-read audiobook can be make or break - in this case, it's definitely a Big Make (like Fred VanVleet in the 2019 Finals).

I was WAITING for this digital (?) book!

I’ve been waiting for a book like this. Is listening to the audiobook a digital or an analog experience? You need to hear or read the book to find out!

OK. I won’t keep you in suspense. I think it is both. As David Sax says, we need, and we have both.

The pandemic was an incredible experience for almost all of us. I was teaching instrumental music to fifth and sixth graders during the pandemic. Sax captures my negative experience and describes very well what so many of my students and their families went through. I don’t think we have yet realized the impact that going all digital all at once for a significant time has done to us — and FOR us. Over the past several years, I have realized that, with the advent of digital devices of all kinds and the proliferation of enabling software, our hope of a digital paradise is further away than I could’ve ever predicted.

There is nothing like in-person coaching, training, and demonstrating. Nothing.

The future is now.

Nothing can prepare you for the future like this book. The current relationship is defined between digital and analog here. Sax AGAIN delivers a book worth enjoying for your own self education and understanding. I can't wait for his next one.

Too much complaining, political bias, and repetition

While I find the topic interesting, and I somewhat enjoyed The Revenge of Analog, there was little about this book that felt worth my time. Most of it was either complaining about the pandemic (a message we are all tired of) and debasing any and all politically conservative ideas. In the last chapter, about “the soul”, the author discusses being religious, but not really caring about religion, which is rather confusing. You may enjoy this, but it is definitely not my cup of tea.

A guy who exclusively works remotely and enjoys it while advocating for the opposite.

The tonal whiplash and hypocrisy is staggering. It’s almost like he was paid to write the first chapter by some tech CEO trying to get his people back into the office. If workers really hated WFH that much, the movement to keep it wouldn’t be as strong. This felt so much like shilling to a corporate master I’m less interested in the rest of the book.