In an era dominated by convenience and efficiency, one would think that life would be simpler, easier, and most importantly, happier. After all, shouldn’t all the time saved with machines and technology leave us with more time for ourselves? The Atlantic columnist Ian Bogost thinks not. From digital tickets to automated faucets, he argues that the simple pleasures of daily life have been stripped away, replaced by sleek, but soulless, design. The Small Stuff argues that finding joy isn’t about achieving monumental happiness or prolonged satisfaction. It’s about doing small things, deliberately and with attention, to unlock the basic pleasures that flavor our daily lives.
Bogost is adept at pinpointing the losses that come with the digital ease of Amazon, Uber Eats, and Netflix ... Bogost has often taken on the role of counterintuitive curmudgeon, arguing against whatever the dominant opinions of tech are; hence, his critiques in The Small Stuff sometimes ring hollow ... Much of The Small Stuff boils down to the idea that we should pay more attention to ordinary objects and encounters with the physical world, even as digital technology encourages us to ignore or avoid them. Bogost intentionally does not posit a larger purpose beyond cultivating 'a more gratifying life,' as the book’s subtitle puts it. In that sense, it’s less radical than some of his previous works.
