Videos about transitioning to an analog lifestyle are gaining popularity on TikTok. Users are suggesting cutting back on screen time and replacing digital habits with offline alternatives: paper journals instead of smartphone notes, an iPod with custom playlists instead of Spotify’s algorithms, film and digital cameras instead of an iPhone, or written letters instead of chat messages. Some people are putting together so-called “analog bags” filled with magazines, puzzles, knitting projects, and sketchbooks to help them reach for their phones less often. Dazed magazine has covered this trend dedicated a separate article.
По данным издания, интерес к аналогу стал реакцией на усталость от цифровой среды и ИИ. Молодые люди 18-24 лет проводят за экранами в среднем 6 часов 20 минут личного времени в день. При этом только 29% взрослых считают, что интернет положительно влияет на их ментальное здоровье. Годом ранее таких было 33%.
Researchers attribute this trend to growing distrust of algorithms, where users’ attention is treated as a commodity. An analog lifestyle is seen as a way to regain control over one’s attention, slow down, and use technology more mindfully—without giving it up entirely.
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That said, the movement also has its weaknesses. There is growing criticism that this trend is becoming a new form of consumption disguised as self-care. According to researcher Caitlin Rieger, this resembles past trends toward healthy eating, when such choices were not available to everyone. Whereas digital inequality was previously discussed in terms of access to technology, the focus is now on the ability to live without constant digital dependence.
In response, proponents of this trend suggest a simpler approach: buying secondhand, swapping items, making use of what we already have, and doing things by hand. In this sense, an “analog” lifestyle can be more environmentally friendly than constantly upgrading gadgets and relying on energy-intensive digital infrastructure.
A mass exodus from social media is not expected, but this trend is now increasingly seen as a signal to reevaluate the role of the internet and the attention it commands in the daily lives of the younger generation.
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