I, Human: how to join the analog revolution (and rediscover joy)

Yes, yes – I’m fully aware that you’re reading this online. But the best revolutions start brewing inside the Machine, right? (Call me Ghost.) Also, this writer hasn’t yet mastered the noble art of smoke-signal journalism, so let’s work with what we’ve got. 

We’re living in the age of the ‘enshittification’ of the internet. A space that once felt playful, connective and expansive now just feels inescapable. Feeds optimised for outrage, AI rewriting ‘reality’, mass surveillance of our most intimate behaviours, algorithms nudging us toward extremes… And then there’s doomscrolling’, which doesn’t just steal our time and energy, but literally reshapes the brain. 

It’s like we’re all Oliver Twist, standing in front of the Zucks and Besosians and Altmans, begging them to ‘please sir, take some more!’ And nope, that’s not hyperbole – if you feel tired, distracted, irritable or vaguely unwell after spending too much time online, it’s not just you being dramatic. Research consistently links excessive social media use and constant screen exposure with higher rates of anxiety, depression, stress, poor sleep and reduced wellbeing.

Being chronically online is making us sick: culturally, socially, philosophically, and even physically. (If you’re sitting down while reading this, get up and give me twenty burpees, stat!) Doomscrolling, in particular, has been associated with psychological distress and emotional fatigue. And let’s not talk about brain rot. (Although we probably should.) In short: this stuff is doing our heads in. 

So, if you’re tired of algorithms running your day (and prescribing your music taste: thanks, Spotify), allow us this ever-so-slightly hypocritical attempt at getting you to jump offline and rediscover the imperfect beauty of the real world. (Bonus: you’ll be taking your attention away from and money out of the pockets of techbros, so there’s that.)

Ditch the tech

Delete your social media apps off your phone at the beginning of the weekend and then reinstall on Monday (if you must). Or vice versa. Anything to give your brain a break and make it a mild inconvenience to access them. Try just switching off notifications (those endless bings and bleeps are right up there with leafblowers in the audio irritation stakes). Bag the entire family’s phones at the start of the weekend and give them to the neighbours to lock up in a safe (or something slightly less extreme, but you get the point.)

If you need some help, use tech to help you ditch tech. Yup, really – there are programs that help you lock yourself out of your socials and minimise internet use with time limits, such as One Sec, Opal or Freedom. Our favourite? Author Hank Green’s ‘Focus Friend’ cozy gamified timer app just launched on iOS and Android: you set a timer, and for the duration, a little virtual ‘Bean’ character busily knits and earns rewards for decorating a room. Every time you leave the app to browse other things on your phone, you disrupt Bean’s knitting, causing it to drop stitches and making it sad. What better incentive to stay off your phone than to make sure little Bean keeps happy and knitting?!

Get a Library Card

Your local community library needs you! Libraries are one of the last truly non-commercial public spaces open to all, and they deserve to be protected and supported. Besides, what’s more fun, budget-friendly and sustainable (don’t come at me with e-readers, just no) than snuffling through the aisles, searching for the perfect read, returning it, filling up your tote bag again… Rinse, repeat. 

We’re even keen on the formative experience of reading the first in a trilogy, discovering that book two is out for the next month, so you’ll probably need to discover the lost art of patience. (Talk about embracing the latest trend of friction maxxing!) 

Books aren’t the only thing on offer, either. Libraries have evolved into repositories of all kinds of knowledge and events, whether you need literature, internet access, a space to meet with your craft club, or cool school holiday activities for your kids. 

More analog ways to get bookish

• Start a book club. Whether you read the book or just delight in socialising with friends, it’s all good.
• Subscribe to your favourite magazine. Print is not dead! But it does need support. Besides, what’s more calming and ‘offline’ than enjoying a quiet cuppa while perusing your favourite read? (Which is, obviously, Peppermint magazine… Hint! Nudge!)
• Go on a Street Library Hunt. These small, weatherproof boxes filled with wordy treasures are such a delightful way of discovering new reads and learning more about the community you live in. Check out Street Library Australia, the New Zealand Lilliput Libraries map and the Little Free Library world map to find street libraries in your area, and start visiting them. (Want to level up? Build your own Street Library!)

Get your hands dirty

Yes, we’re talking about gardening: tried, tested and proven to be super good for body and soul. (Also a form of activism – check out guerilla gardening!)  Plants don’t care about productivity hacks or body optimisation. They just want a bit of care, patience and presence. Which basically translates into: keep on pottering, keep on pottering… If you’re lucky, by the end of it you’ll get actual lemons. (A major win in my world.) 

Don’t worry too much about not having ‘green fingers’, either: just start small (pot + nasturtium seeds + sunny spot = “why are nasturtiums everywhere?!”), check in every day for a meditative moment, and give your frondy friends a drink of Seasol every so often, please and thanks. 

Don’t have a bit of earth of your own? Join a community garden – not only will you be learning lots of things from the flowers, you’ll also be meeting cool new people. Check out Community Gardens Australia for a spot near you. Or simply explore the beauty of other people’s work: the New Zealand Gardens Trust has a round-up of some of the most glorious gardens to visit in the country.

Go off (a real) map

Embrace the terror! Yes, I’m talking about planning an adventure without using GPS or the navigation apps on your phone. Getting a little lost is part of the point. Who knows what adventures await off the beaten track! Are you there yet? Probably not! (Can you hear banjos…?)

Fun fact: Once upon a time, Google Maps would lead you astray if you tried to reach the Blue Mountains in NSW: you’d end up in a lonely, woodsy dead-end street, facing an irate sign: “Blue Mountains is not here. (Google Maps is Wrong)” So you can’t trust the bots anyway. (This actually happened to me.)

Take photos on film

Buy and use a polaroid or film camera to document your events (and daily adventures). It forces awareness and care of what you’re photographing so that you don’t waste a frame, and will lead to more interesting, valuable pics to treasure, not just thousands of photos dumped on the Cloud somewhere, never to be looked at again. Also, it’s a literal snapshot of real life as it was – no filters, no AI effects, no removing of ‘unwanted’ people or pimples.

Go on a hunt for street art

Treat your city like an analog Instagram feed. Wander. Look around. Let yourself be surprised by the vast rainbow of colour and creativity that exists, whether you document it or not. And join the likes of those (me!) who think endless grey concrete walls deserve a little bedazzling… 

Some ideas to get you started:

• Australian Silo Art Trail. Outdoor works of art on the most unexpected of canvasses, spread across the country.
• Australia’s best street art. A round-up of must-see street art and graffiti in Australia’s largest cities, from Melbourne (of course!) and Sydney to Canberra, Brisbane and beyond. But don’t discount smaller towns, either: like the little town of Katoomba in the Blue Mountains, NSW, which boasts an art trail featuring beautiful work by the likes of Mandy Schöne-Salter. And take a gander at the Museum of Brisbane’s Walking Art Tour, which we were lucky enough to experience.
• New Zealand’s Coastal Art Trail. Six days, 300 kilometres, some of the best arty spots on the North Island! 

Start watching birds

Ever wondered what goes on in the minds of the feathery fiends that fill our skies? Of course you have. It’s time to go birdwatching. You know you want to. Tweet. Besides, it’s good for you: you get to meet a bunch of weird and wonderful people who know all the secret spots to escape the madding crowds and rediscover the panacea of silence. And you’ll find yourself steadily noticing more of the small, beautiful details that make the natural world tick. Birds lead to bugs lead to boronias. And this is a Good Thing. Check out ‘starter’ birdwatching clubs like Sydney Bird Club for a low-pressure introduction to the hobby.

Visit a Botanic Garden, Museum or Art Gallery

Immersion in ‘real’ spaces beats online info overload any day. These spaces invite slow looking – a skill we’re rapidly losing. Take your time, learn about the artist (or the blooms you’re stopping to smell) and before you know it, you’ll be both more cultured and calm. Besides, the more feet wander through our art galleries or botanic gardens, the more important they become to preserve as inspiring public spaces for future generations. 

Learn a craft

Stop swiping and start stitching. Bringing a crafty skill into your life can help replace the scroll by keeping your hands and mind busy. If you don’t know where to start, buy a simple kit that has everything you’ll need – Craft Club, Hinkler and Journey of Something have plenty, or you could try your hand at Indigenous weaving with DIY kits from Ngumpie Weavers or Kakadu Plum Co.  

To gently dip your toe into the crafty creek, there are plenty of places that loan tools so you can give it a trial run before spending your rent on fabric and machines (not that we are opposing that). Newcastle Library has a bounty of tools such as 3D printers and supplies for painting, linocut, crochet and knitting, while the Sydney Library of Things has everything from breadmakers to overlockers. Check your local library to see if they have tools they loan out. Join a craft group for some company and community – there’s bound to be one in your area. (If not, start one!) And yes, YouTube has an endless array of tutorials – we’ll go easy on the digital ban if you’re learning to crochet!

Host an analog movie night (or listening party)

This may take some effort, but just imagine you’re living in the Stranger Things universe. Find or hire a VHS or DVD player (and a TV that’ll connect to them), borrow DVDs and VHS tapes from friends (if you don’t still have a few – they’ll have to pry my DVD of Fried Green Tomatoes from my cold, dead hands) or source from nostalgic stores or op shops. Get everybody over to troubleshoot the system like the old days, grab the popcorn and press play. Alternatively hook up a record player and some retro tunes – nothing beats the sound of vinyl. 

Rediscover writing by hand

Make a to-do list on an actual note pad instead of an app on your phone. Learn calligraphy at your local community centre or via a workshop, like Helen Kelly’s of Brisbane Hand Lettering. Be warned: it may take your digits some time to warm up to this unfamiliar activity. Send postcards and handwritten letters via snail mail – or ‘happy mail’ as the cool kids are calling it now. Opening your letterbox to find something addressed to you (that isn’t a bill or a magnet for a local plumber) with the tactile feel of pretty paper and the slow, curated words of a friend sure beats the bing of a new DM any day. 

Be intentional

If you really struggle to stay offline, choose what you consume intentionally. Fill your algorithm with uplifting, inspiring and thought-provoking content where possible. Listen to an album from start to finish with your headphones on. Watch music videos on YouTube instead of being sent down a rabbithole of misinformation and mindnumbing *makers (*making money). Find content creators that you enjoy and go straight to their blog, substack or social page. Create lists and folders on your social media so you can find them easily, instead of getting lost in the rage-baiting rollercoaster of what Zuck or Musk thinks you ‘should’ see. It’s a difficult balance of keeping up with news vs protecting your sanity, that’s for sure.