Novel looks beyond screens

We live at a time where we view the world through screens.

Most of our professional and social lives are dominated by laptops, smartphones, digital tablets and high-definition TV.

In her novel Touch, Courtney Maum considers a time in the not-so-distant future where communicating through Wi-Fi and Bluetooth takes a back seat to the physical need for human contact.

Sloane Jacobsen is the reason people “swipe”. She forecast the digital wave of nonstop communication well before the world caught on.

As a global trendsetter, a wide array of companies often hire Jacobsen to help them navigate the next big thing. Whether it’s fashion, lifestyle or gadgets, Jacobsen’s curious premonitions help her to correctly target which direction the market is going to swing.

When Jacobsen predicts that having children will soon be considered an indulgence, global tech giant Mammoth hires her to help market their products to a “childless” community.

Jacobsen attacks the project from all angles with several in-house brainstorming sessions. She even implements an anonymous idea box.

Jacobsen soon realizes that even though employees appear to be enthusiastic about technology, many long for something more personal. Something as simple as a hug. She must make a decision. Will her boss be angry at her sudden flipped strategy that forecasts the merchandise his company produces will be trumped by compassion?

To make matters worse, Jacobsen’s boyfriend, who was also hired by her boss, is about to publish an op-ed piece directly contradicting her informal findings.

Which direction will the campaign go?

Touch is an interesting take on what life would be like if we just put down our phones and stepped away from the computer.

Maum reminds us to not forget about those who are living and breathing right around us. Because a loving hug, tight squeeze or simple touch are so much more fulfilling than a text.

PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY The cover of Touch, a novel by US writer Courtney Maum.