Tech journalist Rebecca Fannin has covered Silicon Valley and China for many years, but recently turned her attention closer to home.
Her new book, “Silicon Heartland: Transforming the Midwest from Rust Belt to Tech Belt,” covers the Midwest's ongoing evolution from the Rust Belt to a more technological economy.
Fannin, who now lives in New York, grew up in Lancaster, Ohio, and will return there Wednesday for a free talk, book sale and conversation with Lancaster Mayor David Scheffler at the main branch of the Fairfield County District Library.
Question: How did you decide to switch from writing about China to writing about this region?
Rebecca Fannin: There are elements of China in my new book as well. The rise of the heart is also about competition with China, and the United States is investing much more in technology. Intel's factory has a lot of federal money behind it, and the semiconductor race is on. When COVID hit, I couldn't go to China anymore. And I had seen this tendency rising in the heart, but I had not had the time to follow it. Well, I turned around. I took two very long heartland road trips during COVID when everyone was available — unlike today, when you could hardly reach anyone! It was about six months that I was on the road doing interviews.
Q. A lot of people just did Zoom interviews in 2020. What advantage do you think going on the road gave you?
Fannin: There is no substitute for seeing things first hand. I'd spot something and think, “Oh, I've got to follow that.” On Zoom, you're not going to see poverty up close, you're not going to see diversity as much. It gave me a real drive to tell this story from a personal perspective, and also because I'm from the area, I get it.
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Q. What are some of the big differences between the heartland and the east or west coasts?
Fannin: I think it's more family oriented in the Midwest. People prioritize family. They will stop working at 5 or 6 (pm). They're not going to work until 9 (pm) or 10 (pm) or midnight, like I saw in Silicon Valley or China. Family and religion are very important in the Midwest, and there's a really authentic quality to the people that you don't find as much on the coasts, a kind of grit and determination.
Q. Are there pros and cons to these properties?
Fannin: Probably in the long run, it's an advantage, but the heart has to have some of the characteristics that I see that have worked in Silicon Valley. More confidence, for example. More assertiveness. There aren't enough heroes to look up to yet, like Silicon Valley has.
Q. You mention in the book that the heart is much more spread out compared to Silicon Valley. How do you think that affects innovation here?
Fannin: I think it is a disadvantage for the area. There must be a central hub. Columbus is the closest thing, I think. Columbus is also growing in most heartland cities right now, with corporations and venture capital and OSU and the research industries and new economic development with companies like Intel.
Q. How did you decide to set the heart of your book?
Fannin: I tried to go to the hardest places, the hardest hit places the fall of the rust belt, the decline of the old industrial economy. Columbus was not hit so hard by the decline of hard industry, because he never really had it. It was always more of a service capital. The story doesn't really extend to Iowa and those other rural states. They don't play that technology game as much. It focuses on the Great Lakes states and then the Appalachian states of Kentucky and West Virginia, which share some aspects of recovery.
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Q. What are some of the changes you've noticed since you stopped actively working on the book?
Fannin: Many of the same trends continue, but there are new angles. The Silicon Valley bank collapse is one of them. This could end up being good for the heart, because people will end up leaving Silicon Valley, entrepreneurs and entrepreneurs. They have already left because of the pandemic and are working from home, but now, there will be layoffs in Silicon Valley and people have to go where the work is. Companies may want to move to places where the cost of living is lower.
Q. Anything else you would like to add?
Fannin: Doing the book was kind of a homecoming for me. I've been away for so many years, just back for a vacation. One of the things that struck me was that by leaving, I had missed the recession. I left for other reasons – I just had to get away – but in the end it was a smart thing to do. Of course, I miss things like picking blueberries and having a garden and everyone's friendliness. Columbus has changed a lot since I grew up. We used to call it Cowtown, but that was a long time ago. It's much more diverse now.
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With a glance
Rebecca Fannin will speak at the Fairfield County District Library, 219 N. Broad St., Lancaster, at 5 p.m. of Wednesday. Admission is free, but pre-registration is required. (fcdlibrary.org)
