If you’ve felt that creeping “I can’t be bothered with the internet anymore” feeling, you’re not imagining it. The vibe has shifted and we’re making a cultural U-Turn with technology.
People are swapping endless scrolls for paperbacks, dumbphones, film cameras, journals, board games, and actual plans that don’t involve absorbing 300 strangers’ opinions before breakfast.
Digital detoxing and going offline has previously been coined as a wellness trend, but as we go into 2026 this trend is now a cultural shift. Even Vogue is calling it: digital detoxing is becoming a status symbol of luxury.
We’ve been harping on about it for years, and finally society is entering a new Analogue Era. We’ve broken down why this is happening, what we predict will happen in 2026 and how you can lean into this offline revolution.
Time spent on social media is falling
Time spent on social media peaked in 2022 and has been steadily decreasing since. A recent study by the Financial Times and GWI found that daily social media time in developed markets is now around 2 hours and 20 minutes per day, and that it’s down almost 10% since its 2022 peak.
That doesn’t sound dramatic until you remember how rare it is for internet behaviour to reverse. For over a decade, social media time mostly went one way: up. A decline (especially among heavier users like teens and twenty-somethings) is… kind of huge. One reason for this drop is the growing interest in managing online time and wellbeing. Ofcom’s Report found 48% of young adults said they spend too much time on social media, with 68% saying they have adopted strategies to manage the time they spend online.
So why are we all quietly stepping back?
Why is everyone spending more time offline?
So why are we all quietly stepping back and choosing more analogue habits?
1) Anti-doomscrolling
There was a time when scrolling felt like an innocent way to kick back and relax. But the silent effects of doomscrolling have made many people want to cut back. We’re all starting to notice the pattern: the more we scroll, the worse we feel.
2) Distraction overload is breaking our focus
It’s not just time spent online, it’s the way the internet now exists in our lives like background noise. We open our phones for a simple task but end up getting sucked into apps and scrolling. We don’t even get bored anymore, we just get interrupted.
Which is why going analogue is more appealing - it offers one thing at a time. A book doesn’t interrupt you, a record player doesn’t play ads and a magazine has a natural end.
3) The rise of “AI slop”
The internet is getting flooded with AI-generated content, commonly being called “AI slop.” Whether it’s a crazy video, AI-written captions or fake product ads, people don’t know what’s real or fake anymore. When everything looks fake, nothing feels worth your attention. Even The Guardian has written about the scale of the slop problem, and the way it’s creeping into everything from YouTube content to economic systems.
So yes, “offline” is partly a wellness response but it’s also a quality issue. People aren’t just tired of being constantly online, they’re tired of what online has become.
4) Social platforms feel less personal
Facebook and MySpace used to be about connections. You only really had your friends in your networks. But now when you open an app, you see more strangers than friends. Algorithms have changed and everything is optimised for keeping you on the app rather than making you feel connected.
5) Public posting is fading
This is one of the biggest “tipping point” signals. Instagram chief Adam Mosseri has said that messaging is now the primary way people share on Instagram and that the platform is “doubling down” on DMs.
Public posting is slowing down and sharing is moving into smaller, private spaces, group chats, DMs, close friends. Which tells us that people are now craving real connection over performance. Instead of broadcasting, they want to make deeper connections and find communities to belong.
Algorithms are feeding us what performs, AI is making content easier to mass-produce, and the result is… everything feels the same.
What we predict will grow from the offline surge
So if people are spending less time online and platforms are becoming less personal, what happens next?
1. Clubs and “third spaces” are back
We’re seeing the rise of real-world rituals again: run clubs, walking groups, book clubs, vintage crafts, “no phones” events. Real life meet-ups and communities to connect with other people and themselves.
2. Offline destinations become the norm
More and more people are booking trips like Unplugged. Off-grid spaces that have no wifi or no signal. They’re craving a proper and intentional break from screens and busy life for a nervous system reset. The offline retreat isn’t niche anymore, it’s becoming the default.
3. Tactile hobbies are having their moment
In the analogue era, hobbies hit differently because they have an ending. A book finishes, a puzzle completes, a recipe becomes dinner. This is what the Global Wellness Summit calls “analog-ing on” - a move toward retro tech, tactile hobbies, and pre-digital experiences as wellness.
4. Smaller internet, better internet
2026 will be “less online” because it’ll be more intentional online. We will use tech as a tool more, and entertainment less. People are moving toward written newsletters, niche communities, curated spaces and real-world events
How to join the analogue era
You don’t need to throw your phone in a lake. But if you want to experiment with being more analogue, here are a few tiny swaps that make a huge difference:
1. Make your phone boring
Remove social apps from your home screen, turn off non-essential notifications and put social apps in a hidden folder.
2. Start your day analogue
For the first 20 minutes of the morning, do anything BUT check your phone. Make a coffee, go for a walk, read your book, do a workout.
3. Try “one offline anchor” a day
Every day do one thing that’s deliberately screen-free: a walk, cooking from a recipe book, go to the gym, read your book, meet up with a friend.
4. Create a ‘home’ for your phone
Phones are distracting because they live in our hands or pockets. Make a home for your phone (like a landline) and leave it there whenever you’re in the house.
5. Take a proper reset
The fastest way to remember how good your brain can feel? A 72 hour break. A three day digital detox is enough time for your brain to rewire.
2026 is the year we stop living through the algorithm and start living in the real world again. We’re done with doomscrolling, distraction, AI slop and performative feeds. And we’re leaning into real connection, vintage hobbies, focus and presence.
