125: Jack Stewart | What I Learned When I Turned Off the Internet: Real Life Begins

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When Jack Stewart turned off the internet, he discovered that digital connection often acts as a “social appetite suppressant”—satisfying on the surface, but not deeply nourishing. In this conversation, Jack explains how removing online distractions led him to seek out in-person connection, from literally knocking on neighbors’ doors to organizing his own book and writing salons.

We discuss the qualitative difference between digital admirers and real friends, and why meaningful conversations rarely happen through casual online chat. Jack outlines how he created formal spaces—book clubs, writing groups, salons—to foster intellectual depth and genuine community.

The discussion moves to Jack’s research on “common pool resources,” and the practical lessons from Nobel Prize winner Eleanor Ostrom’s work on how communities can successfully govern shared spaces. We explore what makes a community sustainable, including trust, collective rule-making, and how conflict is resolved without defaulting to authority or privatization.

Cecilie and Jesper share their own experiences with offline community-building and the Scandinavian tradition of “hygge” as an egalitarian way of sharing space. The episode finishes with a reflection on what it really takes to build trust, give comfort, and create belonging in a world shaped by digital isolation.

🗓️ Recorded June 17th, 2025. 📍 Åmarksgård, Lille Skendsved, Denmark

🔗 Links from our talk

• https://www.gaiaeducation.org/
• Download the PDF of "Money Can't Buy Me Hygge: Danish Middle-Class Consumption, Egalitarianism, and the Sanctity of Inner Space": https://www.researchgate.net/publication/272570361_Money_Can't_Buy_Me_Hygge_Danish_Middle-Class_Consumption_Egalitarianism_and_the_Sanctity_of_Inner_Space
• overning the Commons: The Evolution of Institutions for Collective Action by Elinor Ostrom: https://www.cambridge.org/core/books/governing-the-commons/A8BB63BC4A1433A50A3FB92EDBBB97D5

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Chapters

1. Internet as Social Appetite Suppressant (00:00:00)

2. Podcast Connections vs. Real Friendships (00:04:40)

3. Creating Spaces for Deep Conversations (00:08:25)

4. Digital Architecture vs. Human Connection (00:18:23)

5. Common Pool Resources Research (00:28:11)

6. Trust, Hygge and Community Building (00:41:05)

7. Self-Governance Beyond Money and Government (00:50:20)