No Tech is the New Tech

No Tech is the New Tech

“No tech is the new tech.”
– Darin Eich

What does this quote mean to you?

I’ve been thinking about this one for some time. When do we need no tech? Who needs no tech, and when?

In the world of innovation, the application and use of new technologies is a focus. Paradoxically, it seems like there is an emerging trend or interest now for “no technology” at important times from many people. This could be times when one needs to “disconnect,” or a focus on less “screen time” for kids, or teens becoming too addicted to their phones, or adults checking email or social media compulsively. Sometimes we need to go inward and not into a device.

There have been creative interventions to help people disconnect. These range from depositing your mobile devices into a “phone jail” before a class or meeting, or friends turning their phones screen side down during dinner and the first one to turn their device over has to pay the bill. Also, people have found success with not bringing their phone with them into their bedroom before bed to prevent social media scrolling while one should be sleeping. Others have gone so far as to uninstall Facebook from their phone. Some block off a certain amount of time in their schedule to read and respond to emails, instead of continuously.

If you are part of an organization looking to create the latest product or service for your customers…consider “no tech” as a new tech to work on applying. Many customers don’t want a solution with the latest technology or a chatbot…they want a solution with no technology powered by a human. So, in addition to many of the new technologies that can be benefical…add no tech to the list.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m very interested in new technologies and their application. I just believe that “no tech” should be one of those technologies at times.