Finding genuine connection in our Super Connected world – Tim Arnold live at Byline Festival

We’re living in a time where we can click, tap and swipe our way from one disconnected digital experience to another. Yet occasionally something presents itself that allows us to slow down and press pause on all of the noise and distractions, enabling us to take stock of what is actually important.

Tim Arnold performs Super Connected, with Kate Alderton on screen. Byline Festival 2025 by Steven Cassidy © 2025

The doors to Tim Arnold’s show Super Connected opened at Byline Festival on Saturday 12th July and I tentatively ventured inside. It was a space where I could leave the outside world behind whilst immersing myself in the atmosphere and world of the show. Having spent many years working in theatre, I remember the feeling of wonder being in a venue just before a performance began. Although, looking back now, I guess I used to take it for granted... Now, a few years after stopping using my smartphone and having made a complete lifestyle change, I appreciate even more all that theatre offers when we allow ourselves the opportunity to disconnect from everyday digital patterns and habits and reconnect with live experiences.

Leaving my simple mobile phone in the car was a deliberate choice. It’s very rarely on anyway and it felt wrong to even have it on me going into this show. It did mean that I didn’t have the option of pulling it out to look busy if I felt a little awkward (which I used to do quite a lot). It was just me, the space and the rest of the audience, and that felt liberating! From personal experience, and from talking with others, I see how our devices have given us a get-out-of-reality card. We don’t have to fully engage or experience being in the moment with all of the positives, and perhaps not-so-positives (opportunities for growth), that come with being present. Instead we’re offered a way out. There’s always something to check, find out, or get distracted by and so how can someone ever truly feel and process any situation they find themselves in if they’re instantly given a way to avoid it? ‘This moment is feeling too difficult... I’ll check this notification instead…’

There was something so interesting about the bridging of worlds that Super Connected offered me. It is essentially a show about where I was heading with my previous way of being and use of devices before discovering the importance of digital wellbeing. This live experience offers a mirror up to the audience, enabling them to see where, as a society, we’ve sleepwalked into, and is a reminder of the importance of real human (screen-free) connections. I think when something has become so ingrained in not only the individual but also the collective psyche, it’s hard to break it. The pattern, routine, and habit we’ve gotten ourselves into in the way we interact with each other and present ourselves to the world runs deep, and with each beep of a notification this gets reinforced further, which is why this show is so relevant.

I believe Super Connected is one of the most important concept albums of our modern time, for it focuses on the issue from which all others hang. Our use of technology plays such an integral role in our mental health and wellbeing that, I believe, until we address our consumption of endless digital information and online content, and instead pave ways for more mindful and empowering ways to use our devices, then no other theme or important topic can make any lasting impression leading to any real positive change. This is because as soon as we’re drawn to focus on issues that affect humanity and our natural world we have distractions, ads and AI giving us an easy way out of taking any responsibility for anything.

Tim and his team have created a brilliantly entertaining and thought-provoking feature length film to accompany the album Super Connected. The film takes the audience on a journey as they follow the relatable story of a family navigating their lives through screens which inevitability gets in the way of the genuine, present moment human connections we all crave. The film is shown whilst Tim Arnold and Sarah Kershaw’s powerful performances bring the music of the album to this real life experience. Kate Alderton stars alongside Tim in the film and is also the director of the show where she’s beautifully crafted this innovative blend of live music, film and theatre that was (or definitely should be) just what the doctor ordered!

Steven Cassidy © 2025

Steven Cassidy © 2025

Steven Cassidy © 2025

A final note, this is by no means about being anti-technology. It’s about finding healthier ways to use it that puts us in charge and not our devices. To be able to use them as beneficial tools instead of feeling like they’re using us. Technology gives us so many wonderful opportunities that I, and I’m sure most others, don’t want to give up. However, for the health, wellbeing and sanity of us all I suggest we all make sure we’re happy with our own offline relationships and experiences, and, if not, then perhaps see about making some changes.

Experiencing Super Connected is a very good place to start, especially with all of the invaluable resources you can find on the website offering lots of advice and tips on how we can use technology to the betterment of all.

To find out where you can catch Super Connected later in the year and to book tickets visit the website: https://superconnected.technology/events/