long-form content

when I use the term “long-form content”, I am referring to writing, and sometimes to podcasting, which takes the time to develop an idea, to establish with the consumer of the content a rapport, a durable pattern language which is then used to elucidate something of value to both parties.

we are all starting from a unique and entirely idiosyncratic place in the universe. we share some common experiences as human beings who share a language and biological history, but what those events are like from the first-person perspective for anyone else is still opaque.

so rather than cursing the darkness of inescapable subjectivity, we should be choosing to build bridges connecting archipelago of island universes that is human society.

a way to connect our island universes is to have shared experiences. it is easiest to share subjective experiences with those we live with, family, loved ones, and so on. obviously current events have had a net negative impact on our ability to share first-person experiences as groups of loosely connected people.

long-form content is one way to fill the gap left by the reduction of interpersonal contact. in writing to convey some meaningful ideas to other people, we can keep connected. but there’s something beyond the good social hygiene of maintaining intelligibility to one another. there’s an imperative to have as high-bandwidth communications as possible with one another so we can improve the chances of human flourishing as much as possible.