The Forgotten Art of Being Ordinary

Book excerpt: We’re addicted to our devices. Our kids are too. None of us seem to be better for it. We all know this, but what can we do practically to become less isolated, polarized, and disconnected? This book answers that question with a bold idea: In an age of personal brands and artificial intelligence, perhaps it’s time to relearn the forgotten art of being ordinary. In his follow-up to Get Weird, writer and media producer, CJ Casciotta, outlines nine practical solutions and illuminates a better way to live in a culture addicted to media technology, a lifeboat for anyone who feels like they’re drowning in a sea of digital noise. This is a book for those who are tired of feeling like technology owns them, their children, their politics, and their livelihood, a hopeful and realistic game plan for navigating the 21st century mindfully without losing their souls. The future of our society will depend on the choices we make right now when it comes to our communication methods. It’s a crisis as urgent as climate change, yet far fewer people are talking about it. The Forgotten Art of Being Ordinary will give you the language you’ve been looking for to start changing the conversation.