In 2025 AI generated content flooded social media, while brain rot language took up the language of young individuals. In fact, Merriam-Webster’s word of the year was “slop,” which signifies mass-produced and low-quality content developed by AI. However, with the arrival of 2026, people on social media are pushing back against AI with the cultural trend of being analog.
The term analog relates to technology demonstrating physical qualities, and not broken down by binary code.
The rise in analog habits represents a collective sense of digital burnout caused by social media and AI. Social media was once treated as an escape from reality. Now, social media is currently treated as something people need to take a break from. This has become even more of a reality as it becomes harder to differentiate genuine and AI-created content.
Even if members of Gen Z do not feel hurt by digital burnout, they are still being affected due to the amount of AI filling up various social media algorithms. Much of the younger Gen Z and Gen Alpha are currently growing up in a world where they only know AI.
Due to this sense of digital burnout, acts such as crafting, reading, or using a record player offer a way for individuals to see the world outside of the overstimulating lens social media tends to create.
Many online creators even market their content around hobbies like scrapbooking and needlepoint. This analog focused content offers a distraction within the algorithm of AI influenced posts.
“There’s something about the weight and texture of an object that can shift you out of the urgency that digital media contributes to and into being more present in the moment,” licensed psychologist Dr. Stephanie Steele-Wren said.
The analog trend has become so prevalent that there is even an effect on the fashion world occurring. In 2025, the fashion industry made extreme use of AI technology. A controversy that specifically stands out is when the longstanding brand J. Crew used AI generated marketing.
With the rise of the analog lifestyle, fashion consumers seek community based and in person experiences. Even before the analog trend, brands such as Calvin Klein and Celine were tapping into nostalgic marketing campaigns.
In a Forbes interview with Kristen Craig, CEO of Activate Inc., she explains how her company creates brand experiences which are community based. Craig also stresses how AI tools cause brands to miss personalized experiences for their customers.
Whether these brands like it or not, the overarching consumer want is likely to cause less dependence on technology.
Overall, the rise of analog lifestyles represents a pushback against AI technology and the digital world. With the collective burnout throughout the online community, people are yearning to connect with in person experiences more now than ever before.
