The Rise of Analogue Nostalgia
In the Age of AI, some people just crave something non-digital.
Posted March 5, 2026 | Reviewed by Gary Drevitch
Today, everyone has millions of songs at their fingertips which they can listen to on their smartphones in an instant, thanks to modern streaming services. Gone are the days of spending hours lovingly creating a mixtape cassette with hand-selected tunes for a lover or friend. Yet old-school vinyl records have had a resurgence in recent years, and some people prefer a physical, non-digital medium for the music albums they buy.
Similar trends are emerging in many different areas. For example, smartphones are easily capable of taking and storing hundreds of high-quality pictures. Yet, some people prefer using analogue film cameras, for which pictures must be developed in a time-consuming and expensive process.
A further example is watching movies. While thousands of films can easily be watched using streaming services without the need for any physical media, some people actually prefer to buy a DVD of a movie they like.
It almost seems like people are craving something analogue in an increasingly digital world.
This phenomenon represents a somewhat paradoxical psychological effect: Why would someone choose a more complicated, and often more expensive, analogue option even though digitalisation makes life easier? This non-intuitive finding can be explained by the concept of analogue nostalgia ( Schrey, 2024 ). Analogue nostalgia describes a feeling of nostalgia for offline and physical objects like DVDs, CDs, cassettes, vinyl records, or film cameras.
Why do some people experience analogue nostalgia?
It is reasonable to ask why someone would prefer to use a cumbersome and expensive technology like a film camera over the simpler, more accessible smartphone, but there are some good reasons for analogue nostalgia.
The overabundance of choices that come with many modern digital applications can lead to a feeling of decision fatigue. Having millions of songs to choose from sounds nice, but being forced to decide which of those millions of songs to listen to can feel overwhelming and even stressful , and take the fun out of listening to music. Having a limited number of choices, such as the songs in one's vinyl album collection, can feel much less stressful.
The same goes for taking photos. Sure, with a smartphone one can shoot several hundred pictures a day on a vacation, but who is ever going to look at them? Taking only a few, mindful pictures with an analogue camera can feel more soothing and more meaningful.
The feeling of analogue nostalgia is not only a fondness for older, analogue technologies, but also a defense mechanism against the sometimes stressful “always online” feeling that using modern technologies like smartphones can bring. Allowing yourself to do some digital detox and immerse yourself in simpler, less overwhelming technology can therefore be a form of self-care. So, the next time you feel like a streaming service gives you too many options, maybe it is time to dig up your Walkman again and listen to some old tapes.
Schrey, Dominik. (2024). Analogue Nostalgia. 10.4324/9781003364924-44. In book: The Routledge Handbook of Nostalgia (pp.481-492).
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Sebastian Ocklenburg, Ph.D., is a professor for research methods in psychology at the Department of Psychology at MSH Medical School in Hamburg, Germany. His research focuses on left-handedness and brain asymmetries.
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This article is part of the Bringwise Psychology Journal — daily insights on human behavior, mental health, and personal growth.