1KHO 784: Reality Privilege and the War on Real Life | Joshua Pauling, Are We All Cyborgs Now?
From The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast by 1000 Hours Outside
April 30, 2026 · 57 min
About this episode
This episode discusses the implications of technology on real life and human relationships with guest Joshua Pauling.
Reality is starting to get a bad reputation and that should concern all of us. In this thought-provoking episode of The 1000 Hours Outside Podcast, Ginny Yurich talks with Joshua Pauling, co-author of Are We All Cyborgs Now?, about the growing idea that real life is something to escape rather than engage. From AI relationships and digital avatars to the subtle ways technology reshapes how we think, relate, and even define what it means to be human, this conversation goes into all of it! What happens when ease replaces effort, when simulated connection replaces real relationships, and when the friction that forms us is engineered out of everyday life? And what do we lose when reality itself is framed as a privilege? This episode is both a warning and an invitation to step back into the kind of life that builds resilience, depth, and meaning in a world increasingly designed to pull us away from it. Get your copy of Are We All Cyborgs Now? here Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
People in this episode
Host: Ginny Yurich
Guest: Joshua Pauling
Topics covered
- reality privilege
- technology and relationships
- AI and human connection
- digital avatars
- resilience and meaning
Keywords
- reality
- technology
- AI
- relationships
- human experience
- digital life
- resilience
Mentioned in this episode
Books & works: Are We All Cyborgs Now?
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