Consumers turn to analog activities amid expanding AI presence

As artificial intelligence becomes increasingly embedded in everyday life, a cultural backlash is emerging. Dubbed “analog lifestyles,” the movement goes beyond short-term digital detoxes, encouraging people to slow down and engage in tangible, offline activities as AI-powered devices, assistants and chatbots take on more cognitive and creative labour.

While the scale of the trend is difficult to measure, signs of growing interest are evident in consumer behaviour. Arts and crafts retailer Michael’s has seen a surge in demand for offline hobbies. Searches for “analog hobbies” on the company’s website rose 136% over the past six months, according to Michael’s, which operates more than 1,300 stores across North America, CNN writes. 

Sales of guided craft kits increased 86% in 2025, and the company expects that figure to grow another 30% to 40% this year. Interest in traditional hobbies has also spiked sharply: Searches for yarn kits rose 1,200% in 2025. In response, Michael’s plans to allocate additional store space to knitting supplies.

Michael’s chief merchandising officer Stacey Shively said many customers are turning to crafting as a way to step back from constant digital consumption, a behavior that intensified during and after the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I do think it’s this really big cultural shift happening right now,” she said.

Motivated by the trend, one participant decided to test the lifestyle firsthand by living as if it were the 1990s for 48 hours. Logging off for two days meant abandoning multiple smartphones, a laptop, desktop monitors, a Kindle, an Alexa device and what was described as the constant Gen Z impulse to scroll between screens.

Advocates of analog living say their frustration is driven by both digital overload and the growing presence of generative AI tools that automate thinking and creativity. Some describe exhaustion with what they call repetitive, low-quality AI-generated content.

“AI slop is quite fatiguing both in the actual action of viewing the content and the fact that it’s so repetitive, so unoriginal,” said Avriel Epps, an AI researcher and assistant professor at the University of California Riverside.

Participants emphasise that the movement is not anti-technology. Instead, many adopt selective changes, such as swapping music streaming services for iPods, using film cameras instead of smartphones, or replacing smart devices with basic household tools. Even small steps, like purchasing a physical alarm clock, are described as freeing.

“Going analog is not necessarily about cutting myself off from the information on the internet, but it’s more so about cutting the internet off from the information about me,” Epps said. She recently stopped using Google’s suite of services and now observes screen-free Sundays.

By Sabina Mammadli