At the peak of technological advancement, people are suddenly reverting to the basics.
Back to the start. Why is that? And is this something to worry about?
At the start of 2026, I saw multiple posts discussing how we should move back to analog devices. Using wired headphones and shifting to physical music.
To understand why people are tired of technological advancements, I have a few ideas.
1: People want to own something.
In the digital age, you don’t really own anything anymore.
People read eBooks and forget about them a week later. People watch movies on streaming devices and have nothing to remind them about it. They listen to music on shuffle and lose it once it’s over (true story).
We no longer have any proof of our interests. We can’t really point out what we like.
We want something to be wholly ours.
Something that is sitting on our shelves, something that whenever we look at it, we are reminded of that experience that we had.
It’s our way of showing our interests to the world.
2: The desire to be focused.
Due to the constant bombardment of news from every social media platform, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok, we need a rest. Or our brain does.
Recent studies of brain rot and its behavioral effects such as being unable to sit still, unable to read and write, is now becoming alarming. To tone it down, to stop our brain from further deteriorating as it already is, we are now focusing more on the physical stuff.
I mean, it’s embarrassing for me when at the end of the day, I realize I haven’t read a single page of a novel, yet my social media time is way above one hour.
To stop distractions, using as little of these platforms as possible is the only way (I think). To stop ourselves from reaching for our phones, we need to have a replacement at the ready. And to have a device that doesn’t bombard you with news or doesn’t show you any engaging videos is the best replacement we can have.
3: from URL to IRL
(Disclaimer: If this text is not a widely used phrase, then I saw it on a YouTube video. It’s not mine 🙂 )
People are sick of screens. And I genuinely agree. With my glasses and the red lines sprouting from my irises, I really do believe screens should be used less.
(For the sake of my eyesight at least.)
It is very concerning to me when my phone dies, and I suddenly have nothing to do. In moments like those, I truly wish my work were more tangible.
But as I’m a writer who wants to write novels and use social media to help market my books, I really can’t stay away from screens for long. I need them, but that still doesn’t mean that’s all I need.
People, myself included, are now consciously staying away from screens. They are very aware of how and when they use it. Dedicated time slots are decided to ensure screen time remains within limits.
Screens are now being used as tools (finally!) rather than a life force. And I completely support that change.
4: Slow down and be intentional.
Everything is happening too fast. The world is changing, Al is rising at alarming rates, taking away people’s jobs, their future careers, wars, bombs, death-
Stop. Breathe.
Social media is now used more as a platform for news rather than as being “social”. Many times, it has happened that I find critical, crucial information from social media rather than from any news outlet.
It’s a separate issue that nobody reads the newspaper every day and the use of social media for that information sharing is simply promoting that.
Social media is stressing everyone at the same time. And though media was always used in this way, now it is becoming more apparent and concerning. People need a break.
And nowadays, it is a constant battle that we have to fight in order to stay away from screens. There are no longer any reminders for us to take a break, there is no longer any protection from news concerning adults or children, all are given the same thing.
Something needs to be done. And as an effort to control it, people are now trying to move back to the time when these things were not mentally harming us.
The use of analog devices and simpler phones shows just that.
Although AI and its advancement show progress, I don’t think refusing to use it would put people to a disadvantage. Moving back to the basics doesn’t really mean regress in my opinion, it simply means a choice to have simple gadgets. To have complete control over the things that you own and I, for now, don’t see any problem with that.