AI Summary
5 min readWe once held tickets. We felt their cardboard give, rubbed them together in our fingers, checked our pockets obsessively on the way to the show, and later kept the stubs as tokens of the night. Now we get a QR code on a phone. The convenience is real, but so is the loss—a loss of sensory texture, of a small, recurring delight that we didn't even know we were missing until it was gone. This is the central observation of Ian Bogost's book The Small Stuff, which argues that modern life has quietly dematerialized our world, stripping away countless tiny physical encounters that once contributed to our sense of contentment. On The Vergecast, Bogost explains what we lost, why it matters more than we think, and how we can get some of it back without throwing our phones into the ocean.
The Quiet Loss of Sensory Contact
Continue reading the full summary in the app — free to try.
Read Full Summary →Free • No credit card required
Never miss an episode of The Vergecast
Get every new episode summarized in your inbox — free, ~5 minutes to read.
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
What you'll learn
- 1 (00:02) **Welcome and the Problem of Dematerialization** - David introduces Ian Bogost and his book *The Small Stuff*, arguing we've lost sensory contact with the world.
- 2 (04:28) **The Ticket Example: A Perfect Illustration** - Ian uses a physical concert ticket to show the sensory richness we've lost and gained with digital dematerialization.
- 3 (07:16) **Defining the Loss: Gratification over Happiness** - Ian explains that the loss isn't just about memory; it's about the small, delightful sensory experiences that contribute to overall contentment.
- 4 (09:18) **Commune with the World** - David and Ian discuss the core idea of "commune" — having a relationship with the objects and environment around you.
- 5 (11:18) **Is the iPhone the Real Problem?** - Ian argues that smartphones are not the sole cause, and that dematerialization has been happening for much longer.
- 6 (13:50) **The "Insane" but Hopeful Practice of Noticing** - Ian describes his personal practice of finding gratification in everyday objects, which he admits feels strange but is ultimately liberating.
- 7 (16:33) **Friction Maxing vs. Gratification** - Ian clarifies that his argument is not about making life harder (friction maxing), but about deepening the experience of what you already do.
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Guests on this episode
Show Notes
We have all become desensitized. Every place is like every other place, every experience is happening at a remove and on a screen. And Ian Bogost, a Washington University professor and a writer at The Atlantic, argues that this "dematerialization" is making our life worse. Ian joins David to explain how to once again commune with the world. He tells us of the magic of paper tickets, why he's kind of obsessed with the rubber on his water bottle, and why you don't need to throw phone into the ocean — but you should probably watch more ASMR videos.
Subscribe to The Verge for unlimited access to theverge.com, subscriber-exclusive newsletters, and our ad-free podcast feed.We love hearing from you! Email your questions and thoughts to [email protected] or call us at 866-VERGE11.
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
More from this podcast
The Vergecast →