Analog experiences are back in vogue. Here's why  

The "screen fatigue" vibe is real, as old-school experiences like reading paperback books and handwriting letters are on the rise in 2026. Consumers say they're not cracking open a novel or putting a puzzle together to be trendy, but to touch and feel the binder or board game and know it won't swamp them with notifications, ask for subscription fees, or ask for feedback.

The data backs up the idea that analog experiences are bubbling up.

So-called “dumbphones,” which don’t enable photos, internet, apps, or emails, are rising, with sales up 25% in 2025. Arts and crafts retailer Michaels says it’s seen a 136% boost in the last six months. Additionally, an individual born in 2025 is projected to spend 21 years of their life, equivalent to over 181,000 hours, looking at a screen, according to a new Eyesafe report.

That figure comprises a quarter of a person’s life and more than 40% of their waking hours, the report noted.

Rise of the analog engagement

A growing number of technology consumers seem to have had enough and are pivoting to digital minimalism.

“I’m hearing and seeing more about screen fatigue within my practice and within popular culture,” said Alexandra Cromer, a licensed therapist with Thriveworks, a psychiatry services provider. “People are devaluing 'screen time' and technologizing their lives for a more 'analog' or 'off the grid' lifestyle.”

Cromer notes excess screen time can be harmful to both physical and mental health and can contribute to feelings of loneliness, isolation, worry, and form an "addiction" to it. “Too much screen time prevents us from living in the moment and takes us out of being present with our families, friends, and within daily routines,” she said.

The fatigue technology device users experience is more than eye strain; it’s more of an existential boredom issue.

“We crave resistance,” said Bob Hutchins, CEO at Human Voice Media, a technology services consultancy in Nashville, Tenn. “We long for the scent of aged paper, the feel of scratching a pen across a page, or the heft of a vinyl record. It anchors us.”

From a psychological standpoint, Hutchins said excessive screen time becomes toxic when it removes people from their sense of agency. 

“While scrolling through feeds, we are passive recipients of an algorithm's choices,” he noted. “When we build a birdhouse or write in a journal, we are creating, and creating is what gives us agency. The movement from being a consumer to being a creator is essential for maintaining positive mental health.”

Here’s how users are detaching from the techno-borg

The analog experience isn’t easy to peg, as consumers use multiple tactics to control digital screens rather than the other way around.

Not unplugging but resetting

Rejection of the digital default doesn't always mean "unplugged"; more often, it means intentional substitution. “It’s not about tossing your smartphone into the river; it’s about placing it in another room while cooking dinner,” Hutchins said.

Hutchins said he sees people willing to trade convenience for ritual. “People are purchasing mechanical watches that require winding, shooting film cameras where you can't delete a photo immediately, and using notebooks exclusively for writing,” he noted. “It’s a revolt against the 'always-on' state.”

The most significant thing Hutchins sees with digital disruption is the reclaiming of human attention. “People are turning off notifications not to hide, but to concentrate,” he added. “People are deciding to be unresponsive digitally, in order to be fully present physically.”

Analog users are okay with balance

People tired of screen time and looking to take a break are distancing themselves from their phones, computers, and selected technologies in various ways.

“Some of the more popular ways are turning off your phone after work, removing notifications from popping up on your screen, shutting down and not touching laptops after work, and taking time away from wearing watches,” Cromer said. “Consumer tech rejection doesn't necessarily mean not using the devices anymore, but simply re-organizing your relationship with them so that they can be tools for you and not the other way around.”

How to handle the digital unplug at work

Even the most ardent analog devotee has to deal with the reality of work and career, which lean heavily into the digital world and pay staffers to do the same.

“It’s difficult or even impossible to have healthy boundaries with your technology, especially within your relationship with your job,” Cromer noted. “One of the best ways to live an analog life within your roles and responsibilities at work is to set strict boundaries on your time.”

Here’s where digitally exhausted career professionals need to dig their heels in.

“You’re not 'on call' within your role in your job, so set time boundaries on when you respond and when you receive and respond to texts and emails,” Cromer advised. “One of the best things you can do is to remove notification allowances from those apps on your phone or to place your phone on do not disturb after 5 pm and before 9 am.”

Hutchins calls the digital de-escalation the “biggest challenge” for career professionals looking to go the analog route.

“The expectation of instant response has become a part of the modern workplace, but it’s unsustainable,” he said. “A path forward is not to be 'tech-averse', which is career suicide in 2026, but to be 'tech-disciplined.'

The key for everyone, employers and employees alike, is to teach colleagues and clients that responding to an email at 9 PM on a Tuesday means you are available at 9 PM on Tuesdays.

“The most productive individuals I know are now batching their digital communications,” Hutchins said. “Instead of checking their email every three minutes, they check it only three times a day. They use technology as a tool, not as a leash.”

There’s a bonus to shutting down a smartphone: standing firm on digital downtime can actually establish credibility at work.

“Creating boundaries that initially seem uncomfortable, ultimately garner respect,” Hutchins noted. “Smart organizations are beginning to recognize that the quiet, deep thinking required to produce quality work is more valuable than constantly responding to emails.”

Learn to unplug when the time calls for it

Technology rejection isn't going to happen overnight, but momentum appears to be already on its side.

“It's happening with small, person-centered choices,” said Melissa Fulgieri, adjunct professor at Long Island University. “Start getting books at the library instead of loading them up on your Kindle. Write in a journal instead of on your Notes app. Meeting for a walk instead of leaving a voice memo.”

Fulgieri said humans are a relational species, and many feel there’s something wrong with the way we connect. “Liking your friend's text message may be efficient, but it doesn’t feel the same as someone looking into your eyes and saying, 'I hear you. That makes sense,'” she said.

People can easily reduce their screen time and enjoy time spent walking outside, playing board games or poker with friends, working with craft kits, or building birdhouses. The trick is to set those boundaries so those opportunities turn into analog experiences.

“Creating physical barriers is the best strategy,” Hutchins noted. “If your phone is placed beside your bed, you will look at it. If it’s charging in the kitchen, you may actually pick up a book.”

Hutchins frequently tells people to create tech-free zones or tech-free times. “Perhaps the dinner table is an analog zone. Perhaps the first hour of each day is reserved for coffee and reflection instead of checking email,” he said. 

The reality is that it’s up to the individual to schedule their analog life. “It won’t occur by accident,” Hutchins added. “If you want to paint or take a walk, place it on the calendar with the same level of commitment you would for a client meeting. Take your leisure seriously, and take it professionally.”

For now, at least, the analog revolution is on, although very much unplugged.

Fulgieri said every in-person event she goes to now is sold out. “People communicate how they feel with their wallets and how they spend their time,” she said. “The reality is, we're choosing to spend our time with other humans because we're craving it.”