Quick points:
- Digital fatigue is real. Under-30s are swapping AirPods for wired earphones, or even ditching smartphones for flip phones, to escape constant notifications and charging cycles.
- Online detoxing is the new wellness, and being offline is even a sign of social status. Run clubs and community hangouts, people are seeking offline ways to connect that feel more meaningful than doom-scrolling.
- Brands are catching on. Companies are leaning into real-world events to build long term loyalty and connection.
- Boundaries matter. Users are finding that brick phones create natural distance from online drama, cyberbullying, and the pressure to be “always on.”
- Under 30s are switching to flip phones. We’ve asked two Gen Z’s why they’ve ditched their smart phone, and if they’d recommend it.
Is life really just a never ending glowing green percentage bar charging? Constantly waiting on it’s inching so we can roll over to the comfy side of our bed?
Too much access. Too many opinions (yes, even mine). Too much marketing.
Brands inch endlessly into user spaces and there’s rarely a moment of quiet.
While wellness continues to trend, “digital detoxing” is going to be a sign of peak wellness, and social awareness.
Being Disconnected to be Connected
Run clubs, social hang outs like “Times Out”, and even self help seminars are linking new groups.
Many social media users are turning to Discord servers and community led spaces like Reddit to escape the short form chaos of Instagram and TikTok, and to make social connections easier on a desktop, rather than their smartphone.
Eugene Healey of @Eugbrandstrat commented in a recent video that although social media engagement is down, people are still hanging out online— but they’re in private DMs.
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Brands are choosing to eerily pursue users into their private DMs like on Snapchat— or pivoting to in person events to engage their customers and community.
Brands Connecting in Real Life
Fayt by Brittany Saunders
Australian fashion brand Fayt held their Fayt Unsigned Model Search, which invited their community members to attend a casting day with other applicants, alongside founder Brittany Saunders.
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The approach radically included women of all body sizes, and casting days were held across NSW, QLD, and VIC.
Naked Sundays by Samantha Brett
Naked Sundays has collaborated with Harrys Run Club, which seamlessly included sun protection as their branded addition, alongside bonus matcha and hats.
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With such a great reception, and community members resonating with the warm approach from brands— especially in cities where it feels like every activity costs— is this the future of effective marketing?
Digital Exhaustion Isn’t Around The Corner— It’s Well and Truly Here
It’s time to ask bluntly: with so much access, are our phones and phone accessories just a bit too much?
A busy week that left me charging power banks, multiple sets of mics, and portable LED pads had me pause.
I saw a post that interviewed Hannah Linich of Clout Communications, sharing she ditched her airpods for wired earphones.
“Our Senior Talent Manager actually made me buy earphones because my AirPods were always low battery. So now I carry corded earphones like it’s 2012, & they never die.”
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That same week, so did my partner.
This was a change I had made ages ago, from a place of being unable to keep track of just one more thing to charge a full neon green battery bar on.
The “downgrade” is something i’ve seen be more extreme, with young people opting for flip or brick phones.
Some can’t stomach the full down grade, and have made it a little Y2K.
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Video: Addison Rae using a lego blue iphone SE, starting a viral trend. Credit: Instagram
You don’t need a flip phone downgrade to help break the immersion.
A slightly smaller screen, a slightly worse quality camera— you might enjoy the retro look?
Why Did You Downgrade? We Asked Two Brick Phone Users
The choice to swap out a smartphone for a brick or flip phone can feel extreme.
We asked two people, Deccie and Jim, why they made the switch and whether life without a smartphone is worth it.
Why The Downgrade?
For Deccie, it was almost symbolic. “I had just gone to the 2023 seminar in Brisbane and saw other people there have one,” he told us.
“I decided I would before my 25th birthday, because then I could later claim I spent most of my 20s on a flip phone. Having more of my life spent with devices and screens seemed pretty miserable to me.”
His decision wasn’t only about self-image. He’d witnessed plenty of cyberbullying in university group chats and Discord servers.
“I was honestly kinda just done with the fake cyber world and wanted to spend the time I was out looking at faces or books.”
Read: Social Media Might be Ruining Your Mental Health
Jim’s moment of clarity came after a sailing trip. “I went on a ten-day sailing trip where there weren’t any devices, and when I got back I found the incessant stream of notifications so annoying that I impulsively bought a flip phone,” he said.
“I had been considering it for some time prior to that though.”
What’s The Hardest Part of Not Using a Smart Phone?
Surprisingly, the swap itself wasn’t all that difficult— at least not in terms of function. “It was actually incredibly easy,” Deccie said.
“The only difficulty is dealing with people who feel this desire to tell you off on how you should live your life. Unprompted advice basically. It can be very draining.”
Practical hacks helped him adapt. “For maps you just write down instructions on paper, or memorise bus routes. I now have working memory of when buses come and what route numbers to take. If I well and truly need a smartphone, I just take my old cracked up one, turn it off, and bring it with me.”
Jim agreed on the social hassle— but also pointed out the tech itself was part of the problem. “Often you need to bring your smartphone anyway— for concert tickets, for example,” he explained.
“But the worst part is just that the phone is utter shit lol. My most vivid example is when my access to WhatsApp was fairly crucial… it just fully stopped working for nearly a week because it wouldn’t let me update it.”
What’s The Best Part of a Phone Downgrade?
For Deccie, it was the space: “I never really used my smartphone that much most days, getting a dumb phone just added an extra 40 minutes to my day. The space from the hellscape that has become the internet is what I loved.”
He didn’t hold back about the effect social media had on him: “I mentally associated opening those apps with thinking ‘am I cancelled?’ Being reachable just over SMS is great— you have a natural wall away from those people who are terminally online. Really, when you’re out socialising, the internet has no place there. Boundaries are important.”
It even changed his friendships. “Some people are only friends with someone to send shitty memes, but any talk about hanging out is just not there. A dumb phone forces you out of that lifestyle hard, and I find my mind a lot less frazzled.” Jim echoed the sense of detachment.
“Feeling like I’m a character in the Matrix,” he laughed. “It’s nice not being tempted by social media though. Even when I have my smartphone with me, it doesn’t have a SIM in it, so I need to make a conscious choice to use it.”
For him, it’s partly about the vibe shift. “It really feels like its main perk is a huge aura boost— you just feel a lot more autonomous, main character, and in control. Another major benefit is I’ve started always taking a book with me wherever I go.”
Would You Recommend Using a Flip Phone?
Deccie didn’t hesitate. “100% yes. You aren’t really optimising yourself unless you are. Dumbphone primary is the lifestyle I’d call what I do. If you need your smartphone, you just take it out, do what you need, and then turn it off and put it back.”
Jim, though, was less certain. “I’m honestly not sure,” he admitted.
“For me, the main arguments in favour are feeling like you’re in the Matrix, and— one Deccie told me— by using a flip phone you’re sending a message that you aren’t a chronically online loser. Because people start to think of you as the flip phone guy, they’ll hold you to that.”
Final Thoughts
I really appreciated the points both Deccie and Jim made. A few points really stood out to me.
Here’s some questions worth asking yourself:
- Are your friendships using memes as a crutch? Nothing wrong with sending reels obviously— but when was the last time you saw the friend you’re sending these videos to?
- Is your online life giving you anxiety? Are miscommunications— or even weird vibes or bullying— happening? Constant online misunderstandings are exhausting.
- Blocked time away helps a lot. Jim shared he didn’t have access to his phone for 10 days. I did a similar thing when I went to Europe, not having a phone for 30 days. It was an amazing brain reset.
Let’s Be Ahead of The Digital Detox Trend
I remember Michael Stevens of Vsauce created a video in 2013 about “Why Are Bad Words Bad?”.
In it, he took a moment to predict what words would be insults in the future, mentioning that “Depressed” or “Mental” might take center stage as insults.
Over 10 years later, his prediction is proving fairly true— insults are often focused on how mentally able or mentally well someone is.
Words like being “chronically online” or comments about people “needing to touch grass” (aka needing to go outside) because you’re so consumed online has become an insult in the digital world.
Don’t push down the digital ick you’re feeling. It’s valid, and your online time is hurting you in every way you realise, and probably a few more.
I’m not sharing anything too radical here, and I don’t want to shame you into making change.
What’s one small thing you can do to help yourself reconnect with life? You’re absolutely worth it, as is your mental and physical health.
You could:
- Find online communities that are positive, and don’t have access to your every waking moment.
- Turn off notifications on all your social apps.
- Put your phone in another room while working or sleeping.
- Share your thoughts with a friend (even an online friend) and work together to unplug.
- Buy a $30 flip phone for emergencies, and try some serious time away from your smart phone.
Let me know if you’d add anything to the list above, or if you’ve attempted a digital detox and how it went.
Read more: 6 Small Steps, Big Changes. How to Reclaim Your Life from Your Phone And Doom-Scrolling
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