There’s no hiding the fact that we’re living in a multigenerational, technology-obsessed world. We don’t look people in the eyes anymore, we can’t go out to dinner without our cellphones taking up space that should be reserved for appetizers, and most people don’t even bring their credit cards outside with them because they can tap to pay instead. We are in a digital age that, for the worse, has conditioned us to think that playing an analog round of Scrabble once every six months is groundbreaking.

The recent re-emergence of the «analog bag» trend on TikTok is reminiscent of the growing pro-flip-phone sentiment. This is when you fill a bag with non-tech activities such as a journal, a crossword puzzle, or a coloring book. This was popularized by a handful of TikTok users who aim to take an anti-social media stand, only to bring their smartphones wherever they go, too. Purchasing a mini chess set, 12 skeins of yarn, and six other items to form new, miscellaneous hobbies sounds great in theory. But, like all things trending, the «analog bag» trend and the faux anti-digitization sentiments we’re seeing online are really just sneaky ways to wear out our wallets and impel us to over-consume. Not everything needs to be a trend. Develop hobbies and unplug from technology because you want to, not because you want to make content to post on social media.