Modern Salons

Salons were prominent theatres of conversation and exchange in the French literary and philosophical movements of the 17th and 18th centuries. Although such gatherings for in-person discussion have decreased dramatically after the 1940s, recent years have witnessed the re-emergence of salon culture around the world (https://www.fourseasons.com/magazine/discover/salons-around-the-world).

I recommend reading this article as it's a good read. Salons have become a trend in cities like London, Paris, and New York, where people gather monthly to casually talk about literature, psychology, science, art, or other ideas in a nurturing environment. Literary salons are numerous, but there are also salons in which subjects such as science are explored. A prominent example is Salon London (examples of topics discussed: http://www.salon-london.com/content/Events/), whose objectives are "Science, Art, Psychology." Salon culture have also reached regions other than Western Europe and America. Literary salons are big in Dubai, and the Sunday Salon, a literary salon, has set up a group in Nairobi. The article points out that in literary salons, novice writers are able to show their works to people and even get a publishing deal if they're lucky.

I think that this renaissance of salon culture is proof of human's need for face-to-face interaction and mental exercise by discussing creative ideas and casually talking about what you like while drinking a glass of wine or apple juice. The author of the article particularly emphasizes the nurturing environment of salons compared to the rather dismissive and unfriendly setting of online forums. I was actually reminded of a quote in Screenagers, which I imagined I would never do. In the documentary, a man who is something like a financial adviser says that web conferencing will never replace in-person conference meetings because people trust each other less when they interact through screens than when they meet in person and shake hands, etc. I agree with this statement, and I believe salon culture is an excellent promoter of not only taking a step back from our digital lives, but also sparking creative minds and discussing on equal grounds.