Before Wi-Fi, we had hardline connections to the internet. We quarreled over when we could use the family computer. I remember the first time I connected a device to Wi-Fi: my PlayStation Portable. Being able to walk around the house with that device and remain online was mind-blowing. Fast forward to today, I just wirelessly connected my bathroom scale. Needless to say, things have advanced from those days of connecting my small gaming device to the internet. Long before these gadgets were things that, now, are making a resurgence.
Social Media, the Cellphone, and Brain Rot
I only recently wrote an article that discussed how I rendered my phone “dumb.” If you haven’t read it yet, you can do so here. Technology, social media, and all of those innovations are neat. I would be a hypocrite if I told you that I hated tech; I don’t. I have a substantial home lab, host my blog on servers, etc. Furthermore, I interact with and use technology every day. It’s a great thing. But, more and more, I find myself loathing it. I dread picking up my smartphone, only to be dragged into the latest evidence that Western civilization is collapsing. Yay!
Brain rot is a real thing. When was the last time you sat down and scrolled TikTok or Instagram, only to suddenly realize that an hour had gone by? Not only that, you now probably feel worse about yourself and society. This is by design—it keeps users hooked on rage bait, ensuring they spend more time on the company’s apps. Yes, most of it comes back to money. Furthermore, most of the “people” you are spending so much time wrestling with in the comment section are bots. In fact, there have been extensive videos and studies done on the very fact that, within just a few minutes of a fresh social media account, you are already being shown polarizing content that you didn’t opt-in for. What happened to seeing cute pictures of your friend’s cat?
Fueling this epidemic is the cell phone, but we’ve been hearing that since these devices started to roll out. All the aforementioned maladies are now with us, in our pockets, 24/7. What’s more, people expect you to be reachable all the time. What happened to leaving a voicemail or sending a letter? In fact, I have attempted to do the latter but found out that the world has moved on (to quote Roland in Stephen King’s ‘The Dark Tower‘).
In reality, come to think of it, I see considerably more of the older generations glued to their devices when I’m out and about. This makes sense, as they have a lot of catching up to do from the days of the Rolodex and dial-up. For those of us that grew up with it, I think we are already completely worn out from 20+ editions of the iPhone. I am only 1 year away from being in the “Generation Y” class. Did I just age myself? Oh. I will wear my ‘Zoomer’ badge proudly.
An Anecdotal Observation
My wife and I recently got back from a vacation in Yellowstone. One of the phenomena we both found interesting was how many younger people were toting tried-and-true FILM cameras around their necks. 35mm’s resurgence isn’t a super new thing; the rise of film has been going on for a couple of years now. Indeed, I got into it when I was a professional photographer. It’s fun and empowers you to line up the optimum shot. It costs money, unlike snapping 30 photos of the same thing on a cellphone. Certain rolls of film will set you back upwards of $20. Film cameras are perhaps the quintessential example of Gen Z shifting to analog. No matter how much AI and technology are shoved into an editing program, that sweet, sweet grain cannot be replicated.
The film camera isn’t the only thing making a return to prominence. More people are carrying around actual pens and paper, choosing the tactile satisfaction of handwriting over the convenience of typing on a screen. For many, jotting down thoughts in a notebook feels more personal, less fleeting, than storing them in an app. Even Harvard has said we make better choices when using a pen and paper!
Vinyl is another commodity, like film cameras, that is making a revived appearance. Speaking of music, I have seen quite a few people carrying legitimate MP3 players around again. They are still a piece of technology, but you can’t really get distracted and open up Facebook when you are on one. Yet another plus!
Self-correcting Mechanisms
Of course, many still hold an anathema toward analog, opting in for more scrolling, paid subscriptions, etc. If that’s your cup of coffee, fine.
Another conversation I recently had, and indeed something I have been thinking about for quite some time, is how unsustainable the technological realm around us is progressively becoming. AI seems to be in the spotlight right now, and I am both curious and terrified to see where it’s going. But we have to understand that, as humans, we will inevitably have some intrinsic sense of analog; whether that be in face-to-face conversations or plugging in some wired headphones to an MP3 player, we crave that tactile thrill.
Another large example of this is social media. Most of us know at least one, if not a handful, of friends that have taken a break from or ditched social media altogether. For the most part, I have deleted the apps from my phone. I remember the days when Facebook and Instagram were cool. Now, sadly, they have descended into revenue-hungry juggernauts showing fake AI chatbots. I think stepping away from the feeds and comment sections is a great first step. I do get sucked back into them sometimes, but they are harder to access when my phone is basically a brick of pixels with no apps.
Not only that, but I suspect that dumbphones will continue to become popular, affordable, and less “smart.” The e-ink displays are also pretty nice. Have you heard of “flip-phone summer?”
Thanks for Reading!
I’d love to know any step(s) that you have taken towards a more analog world. Please let me know in the comments below if you have found any useful hacks to reject technology and embrace analog!
When visiting a park without good internet service, I was pleased to use a map and able to discover new places that I otherwise wouldn’t have given a second glance.