Analog vs Digital
The never-ending debate on the superiority of each and how this is a wrong way of looking at it.
The PKM community has come a long way. Many tools were developed, though the majority were leveraging the power of a computer. Synchronisation, tagging, mobile companion apps, and different visual representations of the same information are all part of the sales pitch that is difficult to argue with.
Yet, many still opt for the analogue.
In chapter 3 of his book “Breaking Bread With the Dead1”, Alan Jacobs tells the story of an individual visiting two rum-making plants. One was very modern, while the other remained unchanged for decades. He claimed to be able to feel all of the impurities that were alleviated by the new process of the modern plant and confessed to preferring the old-fashioned approach precisely because of the impurities. I keep hearing similar claims from audiophiles, music producers, writers, car collectors, photographers, painters, etc. For many, the old-fashioned way is the way. And, boy, oh boy, is this a never-ending discussion.
We think of “the latest and greatest” in technological advancement as a panacea that solves our problems without introducing new ones. But this is rarely the case. So much so that one of the most potent ways of developing innovative business ideas for the future is to look at the latest solutions because they’re almost guaranteed to provoke new problems we never thought could even exist.
If there are no cars, there’s no tyre wear and tear.
We didn’t face a cartridge expenses problem before the invention of printers.
Our grandfathers didn’t have to combat doomscrolling.
…
This is what all of
’s books are about: technological progress solving big problems and potentially creating even bigger ones as a byproduct, such as the invention of dynamite or leaded gasoline resulting in terrorism and ozone holes, respectively.The evergreen push-pull analogue vs digital debate in the PKM community proves that despite a giant leap we’ve made since centuries-old commonplace books, we still haven’t fully figured it out. Like slashing Hydra’s regrowing heads, no matter what we do, solving old problems spawns new ones.
This is partially because the challenges thinkers face are more about space, time, cost, or speed limitations than tools. There’s simply no perfect one out there. They’re merely different positions on the two-dimensional plane of an iron triangle where choosing to optimise for one aspect inevitably negatively impacts the other two. Everybody’s constantly repositioning themselves on this plane, changing their minds, thinking they’ve finally figured it out, until the fatigue sets in, and a swing in the opposite direction is required to rekindle creativity.
So, despite all the benefits of going digital, why still opt for analogue?
One of them is to circumvent ad-hoc friction. Searching through the deck of index cards can be more convenient than powering up a distraction-prone computer to open a browser and use a search bar. Pulling a phone, scrolling to the appropriate home screen, opening the app, and clicking “create new” can be enough to lose a valuable thought. However, moving the pen on paper by your side keeps up with your thinking despite the overhead of the mandatory note transfer to your digital vault later. Such mini-obstacles don’t seem like a big deal on their own but compound to a critical mass that can make or break it.
Another possible reason could be that analogue tools are excellent for inducing certain types of creativity and thinking. Most importantly, the kind that involves neuro-muscular activation. This could arguably be why we tend to have exciting thoughts during a jog, walk, or (stereotypically) go to the bathroom or shower.
I love the feel of beloved fountain pens gliding across the smooth Midori paper neatly tucked inside a classy brown leather Traveler’s Notebook… until it’s time to wrap up the ideation/noodling phase and get serious. All the scribbles must be tightly integrated into my knowledge base and become available for quick retrieval in the future. Handwritten doodles, however, must go.
The “right tool for the job” offers me the best of both worlds and keeps knowledge engineering productive and fun.
What’s your setup?
Jacobs, A. (2020). Breaking Bread with the Dead: A Reader’s Guide to a More Tranquil Mind. Penguin.