instrument for attunement

Glia has a very big update coming soon :) it’s very different from before but still the same fingerprints.

I listened to all of your feedback (thank you!!) before tilling the soil for this new version. I also went back to the drawing board and listened to what felt right in my heart.

During the design process, I kept asking if this would be a tool I’d want my future kids to use. A safe space with no fear-mongering “there will be no jobs when you grow up” but a sanctuary for their wonder and curiosity, where meaning is alive. They could ponder all the important and hard questions that help them see and author their stories during the most precious and formative years of their lives. Memories, keepsakes, friendships. For days when they have so much to remember and for days when they have nothing to say at all. For days when they feel lost and for days when they are so excited to build the life they want.

Memory is how we become legible to ourselves. I’ve always believed glia to be a tool for attunement. Memory, in this sense, is all about curation. And the rhythm of this piece of technology is… how friendship works: good friends do not demand your attention multiple times a day; good friends hold space; good friends listen to what you say and what goes unsaid; good friends remind you of how far you’ve come; good friends challenge you gently; good friends are mirrors that reflect who we are; good friends are windows that let in more light so we see ourselves more clearly. We try to be those friends, and we could all think of a friend or two who are like this.

There’s so much fear around AI these days because it’s happening at a breakneck speed with very little intention going into contemplating its emotional impact and what it really means for human agency. It’s never been harder to know what good and stable look like when “good enough” is a one-click destination and no longer a process.

I want this new design to be the beginning of us tuning down the noise and just loving an instrument that’s built for the human rhythm: the steadiness of paying attention to what matters, the eagerness of wanting to grow and be better, and the joyful chaos of good friends beside you for both the bumpy ride and the stunning views.

🩷

More soon,
Erica