The Offline Era: Why Analog Is Making a Comeback
On The Menu For This Week's Content Tapas
[STORY] 🐶 Remember Nintendogs?
[PREDICTION] 🔌 I'm calling it "The Offline Era"
[TIP] 🎩 Create genuinely helpful content.
I was waiting in the car while my husband and brother-in-law ran into Harris Teeter for… something.
Me: “SPIKE! COME HERE SPIKE!"
The 20-year-old Nintendo DS struggled to pick up my voice.
I've been loving Nintendogs again, I realized I get bored fast.
Game default Nintendogs, not mine. Mine are named "Spike, Gloria, Blondie, and Rambo".
And, for me, the boredom is a bonus.
I haven't looked up in horror wondering how long I've been stuck on Instagram Reels.
(We've all been there... and hate it.)
The Comeback of Analog Activities
It's not just me. Analog activities are making a comeback.
Corded phones are having a moment again, except now they connect to Bluetooth.
"Rawdogging a flight" somehow became a thing in 2024.
We desperately want to be unplugged.
If you’re honest, you’ve probably picked up at least one offline hobby in the last couple of years: crochet, sourdough, gardening, watercolor, puzzles, D&D, candle making, jewelry, kombucha, knitting, etc.
Somewhere along the way, being “offline” became avant-garde.
If you're sensing this shift too, you might be feeling a little uneasy, professionally.
It raises a question no one wants to say out loud (at the risk of sounding like they’re adjusting a tinfoil hat):
"Are people getting offline?"
Short answer: No
Real answer: We're hitting a digital life equilibrium.
Since 2020 (maybe earlier), it feels like we've been connected to an IV drip of instant coffee.
Always alert. Always online. Always stimulated. Influenced by algorithms, ads, influencers, peers, blue light, etc.
Now, we're wired AND tired.
So, we're adjusting.
How People Are Taking Their Time Back
Some are doing full digital detoxes. Most are on a digital diet (cutting back, not off).
They're less excited about being served content.
Instead, they're getting picky about what content they want to consume.
You can see it what channels/accounts are growing:
Niche hobby accounts
Tutorial-focused YouTube channels
Pinterest searches for recipes, crochet stitches, and DIY projects
What the Offline Era Means for Creators and Marketers
This is good news because the bar is rising above the AI slop we're getting fed.
The allure of AI is behind us and we want something real.
So, if someone finds you, consumes your content, and buys from you...it's because they chose you.
We're done being constantly available.
Welcome to the standards of The Offline Era.
Slams laptop shut. Phone face-down. Smartwatch off.
