Maybe it’s true when they say history repeats itself. Don’t get me wrong, I love having quick communication and access to a GPS when I’m lost, but have you ever noticed how logging off has turned trendy?
The assembly of “analog bags,” “grandma-core” hobbies, and the return to artistic expressions we once relied on has made one thing clear: we collectively yearn for a slower, softer time — a nostalgic time we never actually lived in.
Living a life constantly dominated by notifications and online personas, reaching for an analog life brings a quiet rebellion, a grab for one’s independence.
While taking calls via flip phone on the weekend or making your own sourdough starter might not be attainable for everyone, discovering hobbies and interests you’re passionate about is rare in our digital democracy. I think we’ve all collectively realized that we don’t have hobbies anymore.
Many of the people we watch online share their hobbies, and we admire them for it. We doomscroll Pinterest searching for creative ideas, but we don’t pursue them, or, if we do, it doesn’t last very long before we pick up a new hobby.
Does this correlate right back into our overconsumption? Not necessarily. The majority of us have a project we started sitting somewhere under our beds that we could continue. Starting a new hobby doesn’t have to be hard. Sometimes, it just requires a little bit of patience and presence.
The beautiful thing about a hobby is that it can be whatever you want it to be, as broad or as niche as possible. It can be something that allows you to invest in yourself, in your brain, or in your body. Hobbies help make us distinct and independent, and they help us build genuine connections with the world around us.
These choices appear beyond our hobbies. They’re shown in the media that we consciously consume. Early 2000s rom-coms, while they never went away in my book, are having their moment.
How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days and When Harry Met Sally are not only predictably comforting, but there isn’t a second motive, second screen, or second meaning. There’s no pressure to analyze every frame and angle.
Film cameras and spinning vinyl follow the same logic that imperfection and simplicity take precedence. Letting go of perfect poses in photos, allowing the light to leak in, and the overexposed frame being a little blurry reminds us that our memories don’t need to be flawless like our personal feed has become. The analog aesthetics contrast the pressure we feel online, allowing room for mistakes and spontaneity.
The nostalgia we’re all feeling isn’t about the past. How could it be? We’ve never kicked our feet up on the wall while talking on the landline like Nancy from Stranger Things.
We aren’t yearning for dial-up internet (quite frankly, I like being able to search for something quickly), but many of us want the same thing: the sense of intimacy, boredom, and disconnection that makes space for creativity and genuine connection. We’ve idolized these eras to cope with our own digital burnout.
At their core, hobbies are an expression of the knowledge we gain and the practice we put into it. To become a better runner, you must start by lacing up your shoes. If you’re inspired by creative writing and wish you could do that, pick up the pen!
We must get comfortable with being uncomfortable, trying something new, and knowing that it’s not too late to start. There’s no dress rehearsal for this life.
Maybe history isn’t repeating itself, but it’s certainly echoing. Somehow, through reaching backward, we’re just trying to move forward into something more human. We all need a good hobby or two to make our days more interesting.
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