the psychology behind the 2026 analog living trend
I’ll be completely honest, I rolled my eyes a bit when I saw the rise of “analog living” on TikTok.
But I had to do a heart check.
I came across this kind of content and its trend cousins (cottagecore aesthetic, romanticized homesteads, slow living, etc.) a few years ago, amid horrendous burnout.
Did some of it seem performative or make me feel bad about myself? Sure, but it reinforced my need to find my identity in God and contentment in my own life.
I found some creators who inspired me to identify where in my life I could live more softly and sustainably, but while using biblical principles and looking at the life of Jesus.
I realized that slow, soft, sacred, intentional living is biblical.
Remember, God had a perfect design for the way everything in this world should be. It shouldn’t surprise us that, amid a striving, burnt-out, overly digital world, there is a rise in people seeking connection and greater purpose in things that feel safer and simpler.
It also shouldn’t surprise us that this world will never be able to give us things the way God intended, and so we will see God’s design butchered and repackaged in a lousy, lazy attempt at mimicry.
But just like serving McDonald’s on a silver platter wouldn’t make it fine dining, so it is with these trends.
You will never be able to completely capture the essence of God‘s full design for an intentional and abundant life, and translate it digitally in a way that does it full justice.
I think that is why I love Substack so much: as someone who is sharing my experience and trying to live a more biblically intentional life, I don’t feel I can accurately convey the depth of what I want to say on platforms like TikTok, Instagram, and Facebook.
Being able to do so on Substack has been the closest thing, and I have also loved getting inspired by other intentional-living deep thinkers on this platform.
But on the other hand, I have noticed a tendency toward prideful frustration in myself and other intentional living writers and creators about things like the rise of analog living.
I think part of it is wanting to protect the heart of something that means so much to us and not to see it used and abused for the purposes of capitalist overconsumption or performative fame.
But we can’t be gatekeepers of things that aren’t actually ours.
And while scrolling through comments from people who are so frustrated about the supposed hypocrisy of creators sharing journeys of offline intentional living in an online space, and as I contemplated my own heart, I was convicted.
This is what inspired me to start my analog experiment.
My initial irritation at the rise of this new trend stemmed from the idea that MY heart was in the right place: wanting to live a more intentional life and share it, in hopes of connecting with and inspiring others and building a community of like-minded people, but that THEY were doing it from a place of pomp and performance.
So I decided to jump on the proverbial bandwagon, analyze this new trend, take what inspiration I could and tailor it to my life, cross-reference it with biblical principles, and leave the rest.
The heart of this experiment and journey then evolved, becoming a way to make my phone a tool again, rather than an idol that takes me away from God.
The digital age is not going anywhere.
Many people rely on phones and technology for connection and survival, and to make it through their lives. Being able to be offline and live a more analog life is a privilege that some people are not afforded.
But there shouldn’t be shame and ridicule for those who are honestly trying.
We are not responsible for other people’s intentions, nor do we get to take the place of God in seeing what’s in their hearts.
We only know and understand the intentions and motivations in our own hearts.
This is why I have taken a step back from posting the kind of content I do on other platforms and refocused it here.
Posting on those other platforms quickly shifted from authentic sharing of my journey to trying to package my heart in a way that was suitable for the insatiable algorithm monster.
I’ve been feeling a deep push to delete all other social media platforms for 7 days and focus purely on Substack, because those other platforms are things I struggle with when sharing the work that God has done in my life in a way that brings Him glory.
Maybe today will be the day that I answer that call.
There are many worse things that can be trending, and I want to move forward with a heart of grace when I see these kinds of things taking off online.
We should not be surprised that there will always be a cheap knock-off of God‘s perfect design.
We should also take heart and remember that what lies behind these trends are broken people with deep yearnings for love, connection, and purpose that can only be filled through an intimate and personal relationship with an almighty and all-loving Jesus.
So how should we respond as content consumers?
We should understand that what we are seeing is not the full picture and that we can appreciate the beauty and artistry, take inspiration, and be mindful of how it makes us feel.
If it brings up feelings of envy or comparison, maybe this is not a season for us to consume that kind of content; instead, let us look back on the face of Jesus for the needs we have.
If it brings up feelings of anger or pride, this might be evidence of deeper work that needs to be done in our own hearts.
It is important that problematic, heretical, and dangerous content and misinformation SHOULD be called out, but it is equally important for us to be digitally literate enough to see behind what’s going on with these trends as well as within ourselves, and to do all of this, most importantly, with love.
And how should we respond as creatives?
How should we respond as writers, artists, and creatives?
We should respond by always being as authentic in our work as possible and staying in tune with the intentions and motivations of our hearts.
If you are a Christian creative, especially, our work not only represents us but also our Jesus.
May we never lead anyone astray because we have turned the basis of our God-given talents and callings from humility into hubris.
Thank you all for being on this journey with me.
I’ve been so inspired by the writers whose work I have read and by the readers whose time, attention, and feedback are so dear to me.
My prayer is that this newsletter will serve as a ministry and not a monologue.
As I share my testimony of God’s continued work in my life, I hope it will point others not just to slow or analog living, but to a life lived intentionally for the eternal glory of Jesus.
Much love,
Sarah
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I loved this! It was so well written and you had some really wonderful points to make.
The way you hit the nail on the head about posting about analog living on a social media platform. It’s such an interesting dichotomy.
Well done with this my friend! I actually think I wo go read this again later!
"We should also take heart and remember that what lies behind these trends are broken people with deep yearnings for love, connection, and purpose that can only be filled through an intimate and personal relationship with an almighty and all-loving Jesus."
This. ❤️ I think this is really the fuel behind the analog "trend." People are searching for relationship and presence that they will only find in Christ. My hope is that when they quiet their world by eliminating all the digital noise, they would find Him.
Thank you for sharing this article. It was so honest and beautiful!