More thumbs up for digital disconnect

Influencers call 2026 the year of the 'analog lifestyle' as people look to reduce stress.

- KAREN GARCIA

A STUDENT checks his cellphone at Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles, which last fall banned the use of phones on campus - even during lunch breaks.

MYUNG J. CHUN Los Angeles Times

At the dawn of 2026, social media influencers at home and abroad proclaimed it the year of the “analog lifestyle,” a call to reduce digital connectivity as smart tech and screen time dominate a person's attention span.

Selly Tan, an influencer from California, said people are “craving something real again,” and vowed to print her photos, read more books and magazines and take up hobbies that don’t need WiFi.

Rosie Okatcha, an influencer from the U.K., proclaimed the year would be “The Age of Analog” with consumers swapping music streaming for iPods and vinyl records, and choosing crafting over doomscrolling.

Sanchi Oswal, an influencer from Germany, said in a post she felt going analog would reduce her “exposure and reliance on digital stimuli” and, in particular, on her phone.

For a generation that grew up in an entirely digital world, dependence on technology is a familiar habit that some are trying to break.

“From noon to 5 p.m., I’m looking at screens all day and then I'm going home and I’m just looking at my phone, scrolling on social media,” said Lillie Beacope, a senior at USC enrolled in a class on entertainment, marketing and culture. “I just feel like there’s not a chance for us within our day-to-day lives to really get a break from technology.”

Spend any time outside, and you'll see people of all ages constantly on their smartphone or other digital devices for day-to-day tasks including communication, translation, navigation, delivery services, planning and entertainment.

According to Pew Research Center data released in 2025, an estimated 91% of U.S. adults own a smartphone, up from 35% when the center first surveyed smartphone ownership in 2011.