Analogcore: Another Aesthetic You Can't Afford
Journals, iPods, and "dumb" phones are back in.
by JV Ordoñez
Published on Jan 12, 2026
You've probably heard of going on a "digital detox" or have even considered and made an attempt at this supposed remedy to the endless void that is the vertical scrolling age of digital media. In this generation of people spending a quarter of their lives on their phones, nearly as much as sleep, we crave more purpose and intention over distraction and shorter attention spans.
The cultural powers that be are adamantly pushing for you to dust off your old iPods, journals, and even buying limited-use flip phones or the more affectionately dubbed "dumb" phones for a so-called "analogcore" lifestyle for the chronically online. Though these iPods and flip phones are technically digital in format, they are still usually boxed into this analog category that is flippantly thrown around for obsolete tech.
People online are filming their own experiences switching to these less intelligent devices and posting to places like TikTok and Instagram for an ironic digital diary of unplugging from this ecosystem that we have become so reliant on to function as modern people.
Are we really trying to touch grass?
So this entire fashion/lifestyle subculture direction begs the question for the coming year: are we genuinely trying to wean off the doom scrolling dungeon that is social media and our rectangular slabs of glass, or is this just another run-of-the-mill counterculture aesthetic?
Are these online personalities earnestly trying to advocate for shorter screen time or are they just fueling another obsession with cool gadgets from the recent past? As we entered into the late 2010s and the 2020s, phones have become the center of our universes and we couldn't help but allow them to do so because of how unfathomably smart they have become.
It is a herculean task for any of us to completely ditch our smartphones for flip phones, and let's face it, it is an insufferable sight to see someone actually use one in the wild. The gist of this analog movement, which we have yet to see the nature of its staying power, is all about championing this idea of touching grass, going outside, and actually connecting with real people. This is also the ethos behind the "organic encounter" concept in the dating sphere after the generational burn out on supposed superficial encounters borne out of swipes and likes.
Chopping up your smartphone
An escape from the slew of artificial intelligence slop and the deterioration of critical thinking is what we all yearn for, but is easier said than done since time and time again we fall victim to the pull of the comforts of brainrotting and doomscrolling for an inordinate amount of time.
The practice of endlessly scrolling through your FYP page on TikTok or on Instagram is a lot like time-travel when you look up at the clock (if people still have those) and you see the hands in a completely different quadrant since you started rotting in your bed or couch of choice.
No one can really blame you for turning your brain off and indulging in mindless scrolling after a long day from work or school since it really is a bummer having responsibilities.
So the concept goes like this: instead of just ditching your phone, think of decentralizing its functions into separate simpler gizmos in the quest to skirt phone addiction and dependency. Our newfangled buzzword "analogcore" may also be seen as a response to overconsumption and the Wall-E-ification of humanity.
Though, a lot of people who supposedly made the switch to this lifestyle ironically unbox brand new versions of these classic and beloved devices such as refurbished iPod nanos, among other trinkets.
Think of the desire to revisit physical media and to reduce our reliance on subscriptions as a righteous type of consumerism, going against the AI-grain and the Labubufication of trends.
We earlier discussed our befuddlement with Apple taking away the headphone jack, which was obviously a move that was intended to sell more AirPods, which have God knows how many iterations lined up in the near future. The concept of chopping up your phone into separate single-use devices against the backdrop of a distraction-hungry and attention-deteriorating economy is tempting.
This involves choosing quality over convenience, and an intentionality in already using things you probably have lying around to stop acquiring new stuff. A thoughtful antidote if you look at it without the TikToks and IG reels glamorizing it.
Our brains, more specifically our dopamine and reward system receptors, have been rewired and fried with the widely-talked about instant gratification from the superficial boredom killers that come pre-installed with our smartphones or black mirrors.
The performance of going analog
Last year, we dissected rebranded hipsters in the form of performative men, who have been remarkably outspoken about their love for wired headphones, vinyl records, books and feminist literature, and matcha lattes. People breaking down the phenomenon and making satirical content littered social media. Tragically, the subculture even made it to advertisements and major broadcast channels, indicating the death of the nicheness of it.
Is this analog movement, if you can even call it that, online personalities and influencers monetizing the mere aesthetic of iPods and journals over actually adopting that lifestyle? Sure, you could dust off your old MP3 players or Game Boys for entertainment if you are old enough to have grown up with those, but nine times out of 10 their 15-year-old batteries are kaput and the only other option is to continue accumulating stuff, which is against the subculture's main ethos.
Just a few years ago, people were trying to live minimalist lives by cutting down on things they owned, but now consumerist culture is built on being okay with getting things as long as they are "the right stuff" like books and analog accoutrements like vinyl or CDs. Living out the "chronically offline" advocacy is unattainable for many of us with jobs, emails, and deadlines to run after and could be seen as an out-of-touch concept for the majority.
The authenticity we crave is still using our Instagram or social accounts for their original purpose: seeing what our friends and family are up to. It is a universal fatigue over the saturated online content creator world we live in, imbued with target markets and ad campaigns to spread.