Every so often, social media presents a new wave of self-improvement prescriptions: digital detoxes, minimalism and 5 a.m. morning routines. Now, creators are turning to the internet to share their newly adopted “analog” hobbies, but a larger cultural shift may be brewing beneath the curated posts.
Lifestyle influencer Sierra Campbell coined the “analog bag” last year, with a tote bag storing craft supplies, journals and other screen-free activities. Other creators and consumers have followed suit, compiling their own hobby collections.
The growing desire to create stronger boundaries around screen time speaks to the rise of digital fatigue. A 2022 NIH study surveyed a sample of university students and concluded that social media elevates digital fatigue with information, communication and social overload. The constant communication requests and endless exposure to information on social media deplete the brain’s cognitive energy because humans were not meant to hold so much at once.
To alleviate this exhaustion, physical hobbies offer an escape from the digital world and mental exercises to sharpen the brain-rotted mind. Ava Brasfield, a junior majoring in English and Spanish, said she enjoys journaling, crafting and collecting physical media to fill her time off of her phone.
“I already spend way too much time on my phone, so I think these hobbies are a good way to get off my phone and really connect with the world around me,” she said. “I guess without these hobbies, my brain would turn to mush being on my phone 24/7.”
Hobbies also serve as a way to connect with peers and find community through shared interests. Meredith Crawley, a sophomore majoring in nursing, said she took up painting as a way to bond with friends who previously enjoyed it.
“I think people have realized that they can come together with friends and have a more common ground,” Crawley said. “When someone finds a hobby to share with others, it makes them want to continue it and get better at it, and it leads to them continuing to get others they know involved in it.”
This sentiment rings true in the midst of the U.S.’s loneliness epidemic, which is exacerbated by the rise of online interactions that replace real-life connections. This makes hobbies more than just a digital getaway; they are a means to find community in an increasingly isolated society.
The promotion of hobbies as a way to disconnect from social media can spark positive social change. This begs the question: is it hypocritical to go online to flaunt an offline lifestyle? While the irony is there, the abundance of online content urging people to log off marks a widespread yearning to unplug.
“In some aspects it definitely is ironic because what is the purpose of going off grid to brag about it later on?” said Sarah Ballenger, a sophomore majoring in music performance. “In the same breath, some people are giving insights to people, which could be beneficial to how they may want to learn and grow without technology and see the difference before acting on it themselves.”
The jury is still out on whether analog hobbies will truly mark a cultural movement, or if it is just another passing trend. Crawley said people have much to gain from replacing doomscrolling with hands-on activities if they choose.
“I think there will always be so many people out in the world that try to stay away from technology and our changing world, while others will continue to embrace it,” Crawley said.
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