Slow Build is weekly newsletter on technology’s biggest questions, written by me, Nancy Scola. I’m a long-time reporter and writer whose work studies the intersections of tech and society. Slow Build is a chance to explore in depth the risks and rewards of modern technology. It’s meant to be a thoughtful, community-driven place where there’s room and time to really consider what’s going on in tech behind the headlines.
Slow Build launched in April of 2021, and publishes on Friday mornings, east coast U.S. time (absent the occasional vacation and the like). Slow Build is for the most part free, though there are bonus features here and there for paid subscribers. So why bother paying? To support the kind of journalism we’re attempting to do here — a kind of journalism that starts with a curious mind and follows it where it leads.
What can you expect from Slow Build? Here we think about technology policy, for sure, but also how technology is shaping the way politics is done, both here in the U.S. and elsewhere. We also have a strong interest in so-called civic tech, or the movement of folks who are attempting to use technology in both civil society and government with the express purpose of making people’s lives concretely better. We’re also partial to really good reads on technology, and endeavor to point you to great stories that will make you think.
(By the way, why the name “Slow Build?” Think of it as a riff off “move fast and break things,” rooted in a way of imagining and building tech with deliberation and care — and yes, that sometimes takes some time.)
Here are some nice things that people have said about Slow Build and its author. We’ll hope you’ll join us.
Nancy Scola @nancyscola
Self-promotion's super fun & I'm really comfortable doing it. Was that convincing? Anyway, if you’re interested in the big questions around tech — and, maybe, have enjoyed my work over the years — I hope you’ll consider signing up for my newsletter. https://t.co/hCFBrlpZlJ
Nancy Scola @nancyscola
Self-promotion's super fun & I'm really comfortable doing it. Was that convincing? Anyway, if you’re interested in the big questions around tech — and, maybe, have enjoyed my work over the years — I hope you’ll consider signing up for my newsletter. https://t.co/hCFBrlpZlJ
Nancy Scola @nancyscola
Popular Information's @JuddLegum & I talk about how he's using his newsletter to keep Facebook accountable — and the natural limits of that approach. https://t.co/JWG2DXXbEP