Being based between New York and London, where do you find more anonymity and peace and what are your favourite things about each city?

I'm a writer: It's not like the paps are chasing me down the street in either town. London for me is family, green spaces and good food, actually... and old friends. New York is work, busy-ness, great light, a certain relentlessness and for sure a certain glamour.

With the prevalence of social media, we can watch events like the Met Ball as they happen, as celebrities incessantly upload to Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter. Are you scared by the power of these channels, the self-obsession they promote and the impact they're having on the next generation?

I had a very surreal Met Ball experience in the sense I have no camera, no phone with a camera, no internet presence at all, and when the evening was over and friends wanted photos I realised I had literally no evidence I'd even been there. I quite like that idea of it just existing in my memory!

I try not to be scared about young people's choices. Everyone was paralysed over my generation's relation with television, but we figured it out. If you'd seen me at 13, you would have thought that, as an adult, I would have gone on to spend 13 hours a day watching television. But the smart kids work out how much of this stuff they want in their lives. I trust my children are smart. And I try to keep up a generational optimism.

On occasion though, like when you're alone at the Met Ball and everyone is on their phones, it can be hard to keep your chin up...

As we move further into the digital age and having been to the opening of Manus x Machina: Fashion In An Age of Technology, are you excited for what the future holds technologically? Or are you nostalgic for the pre-digital age that is fast disappearing?

Both, I'm always both. I miss the past, always, and I try to stay open about the future. I don't always succeed – sometimes too nostalgic, sometimes too fearful – but I try to keep my mind open.

Can you give us any insight into what to expect from your forthcoming novel Swing Time?

Tap dancing, black women, money, poverty, sadness and joy!

Zadie Smith's new novel, Swing Time, will be out in autumn 2016.