The Rise Of Silent Culture In The San Francisco Bay Area
Silient Events From Silent Disco To Silent Books Clubs; The Silent Culture Taking Shape In The San Francisco Bay Area
San Francisco Bay Area Silent Culture
The San Francisco Bay Area has been a hotbed of silent culture from meditation centers, silent retreats, or majestic nature views, quiet time has always been appreciated. Now more than ever, a demand has built up and has spilled over into mainstream culture.
Whether it’s more events and activities that have led to more awareness or a natural growing interest in such outlets fueled by the pandemic (loss of friends, fewer serendipitous meetups, an increase and growing comfort with time alone, or a decrease in overall events,) these niche opportunities are on the rise.
Silent Events, Activities This Week San Francisco Bay Area, San Jose
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The Bay Area is not alone in the changes above, but it has seen a disproportionate share of the shift in the ways people are seeking alternative social outlets and solo activities. The demand here is higher (on average) than other parts of the world, thanks to the type of people that live here.
The number of people who have made the Bay Area home has typically skewed towards introverts, engineers, artists, nature lovers, tech/internet enthusiasts, academics, and other professions and lifestyles that, either by choice or industry, lends itself to homebody interests and isolated lifestyles.
The pandemic led to a regression in social skills for many folks, and some have not recovered. Whether it’s WFH, friends moving away, less exercise, or anxiety driven by news and social media overload, it’s been harder for some to re-enter the communities.
Silent events offer an opportunity for people to more easily leave home, be around others, but not feel obligated to have awkward conversations or be overwhelmed with large crowds.
WFH & Remote Work Impact
The number of jobs that can be done from home or remote locations is much higher in the San Francisco Bay Area than in most other cities given the number of technology industries here.
The amount of time people wear headphones is insanely high here - it’s not uncommon for people to wear headphones all day for work calls, music/podcasts/book on tape, walking/running/exercising, or to offset construction sounds outside and mask roommate noises.
It’s not uncommon for people to wear headphones at cafes and coffee shops while working, but it’s gotten to a point where this is seen more often at bars and even some restaurants. It’s actually hard to tell if/when someone is wearing headphones or earpods given how common it is, but more so things like beanies and long hair covering ears. When wearing headphones in public becomes the norm, it makes it harder for people to communicate with each other and have spontaneous interactions.
I actually met someone who became a friend at my local cafe a while back but it almost didn’t happen because she was wearing headphones at the time I interrupted her (she had long hair and had I known, I wouldn’t have talked to her and wouldn’t have become a friend eventually). If you are looking for people to approach you in public, put your hair up more often and show your ears!
Related Read: Hidden Cost Of Working From Home -Modern Dating Substack
Silent Book Clubs Bay Area
One of the more popular silent events out there are silent book clubs. Silent book clubs vary in structure and size but typically are held at bars (off-hours), parks, cafes and other public or private places where people can just sit and read by themselves in public.
The ability to briefly share what they are reading is optional and people typically read whatever they want without having to spend lots of time discussing a book which is typical in most traditional book clubs. Some silent book clubs try to bridge the gap and expand customer bases by offering an optional social hour after silent reading times.
Silent book clubs come and go as they are usually driven by a single person and when they move, get tired or become too busy to organize, these events fall apart. Others have ended as places to host such events are harder and harder to come about given rising costs of operating places, closing of third spaces and revenue loss from people occupying spaces, spending less than typical custumers and less turnover. Similarly, some places aim to have more social vibes and having too many isolated, quiet customers can kill the vibe that an establishment sets out for itself.
Some silent book clubs focus on certain demographics and communities i.e. LGBTQ+ or women while others are more open-ended.
Silient Disco San Francisco
The trends above are from Google, and the entire U.S. but are representative of the San Francisco Bay Area. There was a drop during the onset of the pandemic but have bounced back.
Silent disco have been around some time but they have been quite popular in San Francisco given eco-friendly communities here (minimize noise pollution and disturbance of wildlife from loud festivals), ability to continue festivals into later hours due to noise ordinances and also bypass noise/music permits that are notorious at places like Ocean Beach, Presidio and Golden Gate Parks. You can read about Silent Frisco and San Francisco history here.
Silent Retreats, Meditation Centers
Silent retreats and meditation centers have always been quite popular here in the Bay Area and have served as a popular way to create digital detoxes. Places like Spirit Rock in Marin and Esalen Institute have been around for some time and continue to drive crowds while places like San Francisco Zen Center and San Francisco Zen Center are drawing younger crowds and driving renewed interest in spaces that were traditionally occupied by older demographics.
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Sound Baths
One of the more popular activities for silent types are sound baths. Although not silent in terms of decibels, these experiences don’t require folks to talk, in fact, it’s usually forbidden. Participants lie down and absorb sound in a sort of spiritual method through gongs, chimes, and crystal singing bowls. For folks who may not be religious, will do anything to avoid therapy, are not bendy enough for yoga, sound baths have become the go-to activity for quiet types (alongside micro-dosing).
Chess Makes A Comeback
Interest in chess in the Bay Area are approaching all-time highs after a bit of a lull. Some attribute this to the release of Queen’s Gambit on Netflix (October 2020) which correlates with the big bump you see in the graph below.
There are lots of chess games, classes all over the Bay Area from games at bars, classes at libraries and more. For a running list, check out this guide I put together.
The Rise Of Mahjong In The Bay Area
Mahjong events are seeing a spike as people seek out third spaces, look to connect with their community and reimmerse themselves into socity. What was seek as a game that elderly Asian folks (namely grandparents) played has gone mainstream among youth since the pandemic, as events are sprouting up at night, weekends and bars.
While Mahjong can be social and involve small chit-chat, a majority of people seek it out as a way to be around others without being obligated to talk to othes.
For a list of Mahjong events and classes in the Bay Area, check out this guide.
Bay Area Silent Events, Activities
There is a lot of stress and anxiety here in the Bay Area thanks to looming AI threats, world problems, rising costs, divisive politics, worsening job market, challenging work-life balance and unchecked mental health stemming from the pandemic.
I have had to turn down a lot of dating clients because many of them needed to deal with trauma and conditions first that would otherwise make dating extremely difficult for them and limit my ability to make a difference in their lives.
Demand for therapists is at an all-time high, yet is unattainable for many due to rising costs and lack of coverage through our health system. A strong stigma exists which doesn’t help either.
Therapists are burned out and leaving their profession in droves. If you take a look at therapists, many of them have side-gig, artistic side, or other outlet to offset the heavy burden they deal with day in and day out, and it’s only gotten worse as their clients’ problems have worsened.
People are seeking ways to relax, meditate, connect, and get offline now more than ever. Intimate events, soothing sounds, calming environments, small crowds and places where talking is not required nor expected are on the rise, allowing those who live quiet lives (or are not in the mood to be social at that very moment in time) to participate in society without overextending their comfort zones.
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