This is the one thing technology can’t solve in the discussion - humans are different. I find conferences intensely draining. I love people but I don’t like crowds - I grew up in the remote mountains. But I realize I’m not everyone and I recognize that hybrid events and work places are probably the best way to ensure everyone gets to work and participate in the way they feel most effective. I am glad that the extrovert hegemony has been cracked this year, but I also realize as humans we should figure out how to assemble and collaborate in a way that is most comfortable for everyone, then everyone will get so much more out of the interaction.
Small talk and the like is tiring, but getting to talk about your pet project with others who grasp it's depth is a rare and exciting thing, and there is no denying that in person communication flows the best.
Speak for yourself. I'm not so much an introvert as a near-total loner. I find in-person conferences incredibly interesting and valuable for the ability to spend a week nerding out on technical topics with new people. Online conferences do absolutely nothing for me.
I've described them as a geek spa or fantasy nerd camp. It doesn't have much to do with the act of delivering talks in-person on online; that's the the mechanism for a very special type of social interaction that is hard (or impossible) to replicate online.
Another socially anxious introvert here. I miss in person events so much, digital conventions don’t compare even remotely (please don’t talk to me though).
Online events give me loads of fatigue. In-person events energize me. The backroom conversations are why they’re great.
At the beginning I was always into the speakers. Later I realized they were really a gimmick to bring us together.
Clubhouse captures some of this in person magic. There was also a book club that was pretty good. Slate I think it’s called.
Let’s hope Apple can capture this. :)