36 Questions to Fall (Back) in Love with Tech | Figma Blog (opens in new tab)

Technology once felt playful, creative, and limitless, but constant notifications, social comparison, and digital distrust have made it feel burdensome. Figma’s article explores this changing relationship through interviews with more than 20 product and technology professionals, using 36 questions inspired by the psychology of vulnerability and connection. Their stories suggest that technology remains most meaningful when it enables creativity, community, and human connection rather than merely increasing consumption or efficiency.

Early Encounters with Technology

• Many interviewees remember technology as an open frontier for experimentation and self-expression.
• Cristina Cordova discovered college pathways through the College Confidential forum, finding peers and practical guidance unavailable in her family.
• Kristy Tillman credits early design software with shaping her career and recalls a period of “pure creativity.”
• Mig Reyes remembers customizing AOL Instant Messenger profiles as a playful way to experiment and express himself.
• These experiences illustrate how early technology often encouraged curiosity, discovery, and personal agency.

When the Digital Honeymoon Ends

• The web’s promise has been complicated by advertising, fear of missing out, endless notifications, and social-media pressure.
• Lauren McCann describes the alienation of seeing friends gather without her.
• Shyvee Shi notes that social platforms present polished versions of people’s lives, encouraging unhealthy comparison.
• Peter Yang argues that creating things is generally more valuable than passively consuming social content.
• As digital tools became essential to work and daily life, they also introduced new obligations, including “Slack-lash” and constant availability.

Technology as a Source of Community

• Despite its problems, technology can create lasting relationships and communities.
• Lenny Rachitsky met his wife through the dating site howaboutwe.com.
• Sho Kuwamoto formed enduring friendships through the online forum Midwest Raves.
• Forums, dating platforms, and other digital communities can connect people with mentors, friends, and partners who share their interests.
• At its best, technology helps people overcome geographic and social barriers and build a sense of belonging.

AI, Creativity, and the Future

• AI dominates conversations about technology’s future, bringing both excitement and caution.
• Mihika Kapoor sees creative AI tools as a way to help people turn ideas into reality and unlock broader innovation.
• Marcel Weekes emphasizes that developers should consider whether and how something should be built—not only whether it can be built.
• Automation could reduce tedious work and allow people to focus more on craft, judgment, and interesting problems.
• Jenny Wen argues that technology should also make room for joy, rather than optimizing every experience solely for speed or productivity.

Reflecting on Your Own Relationship with Tech

• The article invites readers to use its 36 questions as a tool for reflection and conversation.
• Questions explore first usernames, early technology experiences, online identity, creativity, connection, and hopes for the future.
• Sharing these stories is intended to create the same vulnerability and intimacy that inspired the original “36 Questions That Lead to Love.”

Technology is worth embracing when it helps people create, connect, and express themselves. The practical challenge is to design and use digital tools more intentionally—prioritizing human value and joy over endless consumption, engagement, and optimization.