We are encapsulated in a world of digital media. Everything we want; music, films, photos, information, and even people live inside our smartphones. There is simply no need for physical media anymore, and old technology is outdated. And yet while we are more technologically advanced than ever, Gen Z pushes against technological progress.
Despite their obsolescence, analogue technology seems to be going nowhere any time soon. 2026, according to a popular TikTok trend, is the year of analogue tech, a step back from the digital world. Videos show young content creators swapping smartphones for flip phones, streaming apps for MP3 players, and phone cameras for digital or film cameras.
The term analogue should be taken rather loosely, more of an umbrella term, with the main premise of the trend being to live more in the present, away from the distractions of the digital world. The movement itself is not the rejection of technology, but rather the choice to interact with non-smart forms of it.
While much of this may potentially be rooted in the appeal of the retro aesthetic, with shows like Stranger Things, for instance, creating a buzz for everything 80s or the Y2K obsession dominating the TikTok for you page, beneath the surface lies a much larger issue.
Perhaps physical media and analog technology are rather inconvenient in our modern era, but they offer something modern technology no longer can; the ability to disconnect. Today’s ‘Big Tech’ firms rely on relentless engagement, data collection, and advertising. Spotify sucks now, Instagram is overwhelming, Elon Musk killed Twitter, and streaming sites continue to ramp up their prices.
The biggest thing turning Gen Z away from modern technology is corporate greed. Everything is littered with advertisements; with even the inability to scroll Instagram without constant interruptions from advertisements. There’s a particular exhaustion that comes from realizing everything you interact with is designed to extract something from you whether that’s attention, data, money, or time.
Moreover, the continuous use of AI, something much of Gen Z is opposed to, is nearly impossible to avoid. Rather than helping, it creates a complicated and dystopian reality, one where much of the youth do not want to live. Even as many Gen Z regularly use AI, 72 % distrust its security, 41 % say it makes them anxious, and 49 % worry it could harm their ability to think carefully about information (Walton Family Foundation; Forbes, 2024).
It seems to have been brought to our attention that almost everything we do is manufactured to be content. With the desire to slip away from social media due to the takeover of ai slop, brain rot, and shortened attention spans; it becomes clear that humans were not created for the social media algorithm.
Excessive social media use is taking a toll on Gen Z, with around 66 % reporting negative impacts on mental health, over half attempting digital detoxes to cope with anxiety and burnout in 2025, and 45% worried they were addicted to social media (SQ Magazine; Cybersmile Foundation). Fighting against an algorithm created to addict you is not easy, but Gen z is becoming more aware of the manipulation and hypnotization of social media; it is not real life.
This recent trend of “going offline” and returning to analogue technology and media, while potentially beneficial for this generation’s mental health and wellbeing, may be just another internet trend. After all, much of this movement exists and is sustained on social media itself. It presents a clear paradox: the promotion of an “offline” lifestyle through the creation of online content.
On the downside, unfortunately, trends come and go. This raises the question of whether young people will abandon their new analogue lifestyle once it’s not fit for content or trending anymore. This further plays into the overconsumption mindset adopted by many of us, as the shift to analog and physical media may feed the consumerism cycle.
Gen Z’s return to analogue technology is less about nostalgia and more about survival in an overstimulated world. Whether this movement becomes a meaningful shift or just another consumable trend remains to be seen. What’s clear, however, is that the digital world as it exists now is failing the very generation raised inside it.
