Going analog could be the solution

Genuine question, how are people making it through their day by doomscrolling as soon as they wake up and using ChatGPT for everything? What happened to having hobbies? Being able to form real, genuine thoughts? What happened to debates and discussions? The fact that we keep getting fed micro-dosed content on a daily basis is scaring me. We’re witnessing the deaths of attention spans in real time, and this topic has been brought up a lot in my recent conversations. I thought I’d write about it since it appears that “going analog” has become a trend for this new year. As always, I’m not proofreading this so PLEASE bear with me. This is the only platform where I can write freely and actually relax so I’m gonna do just that LOL.

For me, going analog meant decentering my phone first of all. For example I switched to using an actual digital camera to take pictures, I’m starting to build a CD/DVD collection instead of just scrolling through streaming platforms and I’ve switched almost completely to traditional art. Something that I’ve been having lots of fun with is making little “mockups” of my graphics on paper, or even just mood boards to convey the kind of vibe I’m going for with my project, if that makes sense. Switching to traditional art/mixed media is what did it for me honestly, its not really about decentering my phone but more about decentering TECHNOLOGY in general. Which is also why I make sure to keep a physical record of ALL of my articles, posts ecc.. It’s so important for me to write everything down on paper before transcribing it on Blogger or WordPress. And I think this is exactly the kind of joy that AI is stripping us of. Do you remember when you had to do your homework and had to make a research over a specific topic? And as kid, it felt like the most rewarding thing ever to be able to put all of that together on your own? Exactly. Where’s the fun is having ChatGPT do everything for you? In my humble opinion, “cutting the slack” isn’t always the way to go. Not to mention, it DOES in fact lower your brain activity. And I’m sure we don’t want that…. Right? About this specific topic, I chose this super interesting video essay. It might be a bit lengthy to some but its definitely worth the watch. And quite sad, too, if we actually think about it. 

Not putting a limit to the use of these technologies is where the real issues is, besides the obvious waste of resources that these machines require to keep working. Is it really worth it, as a functional adult, to need a little robot to help your write a 15-words-long emails and contribute to this waste? This is the question that always sparks the most debate, in my opinion. Because people will always try to defend themselves from these allegations and bring up excuses to justify their AI use. And listen, I’m not saying that everyone that has used it or uses it is a BAD person. But maybe this could make them rethink that choice. I’ll also leave this article right here to add to this video essay. If I had to personally quote every single research source that I’ve found, this post would never end. So lets keep it like this for my own sake LOL. 

Something else that has me on a chokehold lately is the topic of doomscrolling. We’re being spoon fed algorithm slop every time we hop on social media. “Doomscrolling” isn’t just a silly little term coined to talk about the excessive browsing of socials, its a real thing. And now I can see how it affects us, I’ve been using the term “chronically online” ever since I’ve noticed the impact of higher screen times on the people round me. They weren’t kidding when they said that touching grass is the solution. I’m seeing kids act like the characters at the beginning of Wall-E. Is that the new normal? And this, again, always leads to the same three topics: AI, brain rot content and social media algorithms. In 2026, logging out might actually  become the new social status. Performative or not, I don’t have anything to say against this trend as long as it keeps us away from screens, and I mean it. Which is also why I chose this video to go into more detail. 

Despite this, I understand that throwing away your smartphone and live off of a flip phone all of a sudden simply isn’t possible. I think that when you’re able to cut off the algorithm and curate your own space, social media’s are some of the greatest tools we have to connect with other people. It’s a matter of use and balance, and it can be complicated to understand how to do this out of nowhere: its not our fault, reels, TikTok and all kinds of “shorts” are MEANT to keep us hooked on them. You feel compelled to scroll because its the same thing as gambling. You open your social medias, immediately get a dopamine response by seeing something that you like and the brief, euphoric high in your brain that you got from consuming that content keeps you scrolling in search of another reward to replicate that specific feeling. “Virtual Insanity” by Jamiroquai is the only thing that comes to my mind while talking about this LOL. But just like Mina Le said in her video, keeping up with trends is also a way for us to connect with our society and understand what could be going on around us thanks to them. *coff coff* the rise of content suddenly promoting conservative ideologies and trad-wifes routines? Hello? *coff coff* And another thing about doomscrolling, the news. Feeds have become a constant stream of bad news after bad news. It has been scientifically proven that the constant exposure to traumatic, distressing and upsetting content/news can lead to users experiencing PTSD-like symptoms and vicarious trauma. Like this article explained, “Vicarious trauma is "second-hand" trauma, experienced when you're not directly impacted by a distressing event, but you see it happen or are repeatedly exposed to stories of it” so yes, doomscrolling is actively messing with your brain on a cognitive level. Logging off isn’t just in trend, but a necessity. 

In the past 3 years, I’ve also noticed an increase in “self-help” videos that promote isolation and detachment from the people around us. I’m pro alone time and self-care and also cutting people off when they disrespect you, don’t get me wrong. This also doesn’t mean that cultivating relationships, seeking social interactions and community is inherently wrong and that you should work on yourself for wanting it. Both things can be true at once. And also, we’re humans. Something that I feel like we’re forgetting more often than we should. We SHOULD cultivate community and relationships with the people around us. We SHOULD want company and loom out for each other!! How can it be that so many people have lost sight of such a basic evolutionary concept? We’re wired to want company. The phrase “it takes a village” isn’t exclusive to raising kids. If you want a village, you HAVE to be a villager and get through the inconveniences of community! Showing up to functions, helping each others out… that’s all that we have. I understand that the slow disappearance of third places can be disheartening to see, but its up to us to show up and still be able to build a community. I will not be sorry for saying this, but real self-care is also having a good, active and supportive social circle & SOCIAL LIFE, not just staying in every night doing face masks. 

This is another video that I personally loved watching. It goes into detail in a way that I cannot afford to do right now and I think that it’s also important to sit down and think about this topic to see how we can actually do better in THIS area of our lives and not end up completely detached from everybody. It may seem like a reward at first, but I don’t think it is. Being “unreachable” has just become another trait to show off  and I think that most people are taking the internet’s advice in a wrong way. Being nonchalant won’t get you as far as you think it will. And this toxic, hyper individualistic propaganda is, for me, just another reason to log off. And hang out, in real life. I am not kidding when I say that at least 90% of my anxious thoughts have completely disappeared when I started regulating how and what type of content I consume on my devices. So is throwing out our phones the solution for 2026? Not really. But like I said, I think it’s really important that we start being mindful of our use of them, that’s all. And I hope that anyone that has come this far down this post actually feels curious and stimulated enough to engage in a discussion about these topics. I hope that every single one of you can dedicate time to cultivating their hobbies & social lives this year. Now more than ever, we need it the most. Letting people in might surprise you!

As always, thanks to everyone who took their time to read another one of my silly rambles. It means the world to me, I’ve missed writing on here. And it’s always good to know that after 3 years, there still are people keeping up with me LOL. How are you guys doing? I hope the first month of 2026 has treated you well. What do you think about all this? Let’s chat!

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