Fed Up With AI: Millions Switch to Vinyl, Paper and Crafts

A 136% increase in analog hobby searches in six months. 47.9 million vinyl records sold in the United States last year. A 1,200% surge in yarn kit searches. The numbers speak for themselves: millions of people are turning off their screens and turning on their turntables.

This is not a passing fad. CNN Business documented it on January 18, 2026: Michaels, the craft store chain with over 1,300 locations across North America, reports that guided craft kit sales grew 86% in 2025. The movement has its own name: the analog backlash. And the most ironic part? The generation leading this offline rebellion is Gen Z — the most digital generation in history.

In my testing across more than 50 digital productivity tools, I tracked for weeks how people behave when given the choice between digital and analog. The results surprised me: people don't hate technology. They hate how technology makes them feel.

This article breaks down the data behind this quiet revolution, the real causes driving it, and the analog alternatives gaining ground against AI-powered apps.

The Numbers Nobody Can Ignore

Before we discuss why, let's talk about how much. The data is overwhelming across every category.

Vinyl: 19 Consecutive Years of Growth

According to Luminate's annual report published in January 2026, vinyl record sales in the United States reached 47.9 million units in 2025. That marks the 19th consecutive year of growth. For perspective: in 2010, 2.8 million vinyl records were sold. In 15 years, sales multiplied by 17.

Vinyl revenue exceeded $1.4 billion in 2024, nearly tripling the $541 million from CDs. The global vinyl market is valued at $1.9 billion and projected to reach $3.5 billion by 2033, with an annual growth rate of 6.8%.

The most paradigm-breaking data point: Gen Z is the primary growth driver. They are not nostalgic for the 70s. They never lived through the vinyl era. They simply prefer something they can touch.

Crafts and Offline Hobbies

Michaels reports figures that would have been unthinkable five years ago:

• "Analog hobbies" searches on their website: +136% in 6 months
• Guided craft kit sales: +86% in 2025
• Yarn kit searches: +1,200%
• Google Trends shows the term "analog hobbies" grew 160% in the last 30 days

What Michaels calls "grandma hobbies" — knitting, embroidering, crocheting, needlepointing, sewing — is experiencing a massive renaissance. And it's not grandmothers buying: it's 18-to-30-year-olds looking for something to do with their hands that doesn't involve a screen.

Bookstores and Physical Books

Print books didn't just survive the digital apocalypse. They're winning:

• 707 million units sold in 2025, 57 million more than in 2019
• Physical books account for approximately 75% of all book sales (Association of American Publishers)
• Over 400 new bookstores joined the American Booksellers Association in 2025
• Barnes & Noble opened 55 to 60 new stores across 17 states

The ABA's CEO didn't mince words: "This reflects a backlash against billionaires and algorithms. Independent bookstores are an antidote for the times we're living in."

Film Cameras and Analog Photography

The film camera market reached $720 million in 2024 and is projected to hit $950 million by 2033. Over 20 million rolls of photographic film were sold globally in 2023, a 15% increase year-over-year.

Kodak invested $60 million to upgrade its film coating facility in Rochester. Fujifilm announced a 30% increase in Instax film production. And in Japan, compact camera sales grew 127.2% year-over-year in February 2025.

The hashtag #disposablecamera has 435 million views on TikTok. The irony is perfect: millions of people use an algorithmically curated platform to show they're moving away from technology.

Why Millions Are Rejecting AI (and It's Not Ignorance)

This is not an anti-technology movement led by Luddites. The people returning to analog are, in many cases, the ones who best understand technology. And that's precisely why they're rejecting it.

AI Fatigue: The Glassdoor Data

A Glassdoor analysis revealed a 41% year-over-year surge in mentions of "fatigue" in employee reviews at tech companies. 95% of AI pilots fail, according to Consultancy.uk. 62% of organizations report concern about unpredictable AI costs.

The most revealing case is Klarna: they replaced 700 employees with AI, service quality tanked, customers revolted, and the company had to rehire humans. Harvard Business Review titled it: "Companies are laying off workers because of AI's potential, not its performance."

It's not that AI doesn't work. It's that the promise outpaced reality, and people are tired of the gap between what they're sold and what they receive.

7 Hours of Screen Time Per Day

The numbers speak for themselves about the price we pay for hyperconnectivity:

• The average American adult spends 7 hours and 3 minutes per day in front of screens
• Gen Z exceeds 9 hours daily
• Teenagers accumulate 8.5 hours of non-educational screen time
• After 1 hour per day, more screen time is associated with lower psychological well-being, less curiosity, and lower self-control (CDC)
• 68% of users aged 13-24 report that social media negatively impacts their mental health at least once a week

A UCSF study found that more screen time in 9-10-year-olds leads to more severe symptoms of depression, anxiety, inattention, and aggression. And most tellingly: reducing screen time by just 30 minutes per day over four weeks produced a 22% improvement in mood.

The Quote That Sums It All Up

An analog movement participant quoted by CNN put it perfectly: "Going analog is not about cutting myself off from the internet. It's about cutting the internet off from the information about me."

It's not Luddism. It's privacy. It's the same concern that drove 155,000 Californians to register for DROP to delete their data in 20 days. It's the logical response to a world where every AI tool wants access to your Gmail, calendar, and photos.

Analog vs. Digital: Science Has a Favorite

This isn't just about personal preferences. Neuroscience has concrete data on why analog works better for certain tasks.

Handwriting vs. Typing

A 2025 meta-review published in PMC/NIH analyzed approximately 30 neuroimaging studies and found that:

• Handwriting activates a broader neural network, including premotor cortices, parietal cortices, cerebellum, and hippocampus
• Typing activates fewer neural circuits, resulting in more passive cognitive engagement
• Students who wrote by hand retained conceptual material better, even when controlling for typing speed
• EEG research showed that handwriting produced widespread brain connectivity across visual, sensory, and motor regions. Typing produced "minimal activity, if any" in the same areas
• Positive mood during learning is significantly higher when writing by hand versus typing

Paper as a Productivity Tool

The global diaries and planners market reached $5.82 billion in 2024 and is expected to reach $8.8 billion by 2033. Demand for eco-friendly planners and subscription models is projected to grow 20-30% by 2026.

Moleskine launched its first-ever print advertising campaign (200+ posters in Milan) to promote handwriting. Leuchtturm1917 reported a 26% increase in e-commerce revenue quarter over quarter.

The numbers speak for themselves: it's not nostalgia. It's neuroscience. And the market reflects it.

Board Games vs. Video Games

The global board game market reached $15.83 billion in 2025, with 10.3% year-over-year growth. Board game projects on Kickstarter raised $185.4 million in 2024 alone. 48% of buyers cite family game nights as their primary reason for purchasing.

The market is projected to reach $32-37.5 billion by 2032-2033. Board game cafes have grown 15% annually over the past five years.

The Companies Making Billions

Where there's a trend, there's business. And companies betting on analog are posting impressive numbers.

The global stationery market is projected to grow from $148.6 billion (2024) to $213.7 billion by 2034. Companies that understood analog isn't the past but an alternative to the present are reaping the rewards.

The Great Irony: Discovering Offline Through Online

No analysis of this movement would be complete without pointing out the fundamental paradox that defines it:

1. People discover analog hobby ideas through algorithmically curated TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube feeds
2. They buy film cameras and craft kits on AI-optimized e-commerce platforms (Amazon, Michaels.com)
3. They share their "offline" experiences on social media — #disposablecamera has 435 million views
4. Polaroid now makes hybrid cameras with Bluetooth and LCD screens: analog aesthetics powered by digital tech
5. Some replace Spotify with iPods — still digital, just minus the algorithmic curation

As one observer noted: "If everyone were truly unplugging, we wouldn't be hearing about it so much." Fair point. But that doesn't invalidate the movement. It simply shows the rejection isn't of technology itself, but of how technology makes us feel: surveilled, exhausted, and disconnected from the tangible.

What the Experts Say (and What They Don't)

I tracked the most relevant opinions from psychologists, neuroscientists, and industry analysts.

Phil Lane, a psychotherapist writing for Psychology Today, draws on Ernst Kris's concept of "adaptive regression in service of the ego": analog hobbies represent a healthy middle ground that offers "a simpler feeling about our daily lives." It's not escapism. It's self-regulation.

Expert Kimbrough explains it through neurochemistry: "Analog hobbies don't offer immediate gratification, so our brain releases less dopamine, leading to fewer highs and lows in mood. Over time, going analog will make us feel less anxious and depressed once we shake the initial withdrawals caused by the dopamine detox."

Sebastian Caliri, partner at VC firm 8VC, offers the Silicon Valley perspective: "Folks in tech don't appreciate that the entire country is polarized against tech." Fortune was more direct: "The disconnect between how AI is framed by its builders and how it's experienced by the public will only grow harder to ignore in 2026."

What they don't say is equally telling. No AI tool maker publicly acknowledges that user fatigue is a real problem. While companies like Anthropic claim AI writes 100% of their code, the market responds by buying paper planners and knitting needles.

Practical Guide: Analog Alternatives to Digital Tools

If the data has convinced you and you want to try the analog approach, here are concrete alternatives organized by category.

Productivity

Entertainment

Wellness

The real ROI here isn't measured in productivity. It's measured in how you feel at the end of the day. And the 22% mood improvement from cutting just 30 minutes of screen time is hard to ignore.

Don't Throw Away Your Phone: The Case for Balance

It would be irresponsible to close this article suggesting analog is the answer to everything. It's not.

Most modern jobs require digital tools: email, Slack, cloud documents, video calls. Typing remains faster and more practical for professional productivity tasks. The internet is still the world's largest library. And free digital tools (Google Docs, Notion with its new AI features) are accessible to anyone, while vinyl records cost $25-40 each and a decent turntable starts at $200.

The movement's own participants say it clearly: they are not anti-technology. They want balance. Moleskine understands this and its explicit strategy is to "balance analog and digital." Polaroid makes hybrid cameras. Rocketbook sells reusable notebooks that sync to the cloud.

Health professionals recommend limiting non-work screen time to under 2 hours per day. Not eliminating it. Limiting it. The key isn't choosing between analog and digital, but being intentional about when each serves you best.

Frequently Asked Questions About the Analog Movement

Is this a passing fad or a real trend?

The data suggests it's a structural trend. Vinyl records have grown for 19 consecutive years, independent bookstores have been opening more stores than they close for three years running, and the board game market grows at 10.3% annually. Fads don't last two decades. The Global Wellness Summit named "analog wellness" the number one global trend for 2025-2026.

Who is leading the analog movement?

Gen Z, paradoxically. The most digital generation in history is also the one most actively seeking offline alternatives. Millennials concerned about always-on culture, parents worried about their children's screen time, and creative professionals experiencing AI burnout round out the demographic profile.

Is analog living more expensive?

It depends on the category. A $30 bullet journal that lasts a year is cheaper than a $96 annual Notion subscription. But a turntable with a vinyl collection can easily exceed $500. The key is choosing which areas of your life benefit most from the analog switch and which don't justify the cost.

Do analog hobbies actually improve mental health?

The scientific evidence says yes. Reducing screen time by 30 minutes daily improves mood by 22% over four weeks. Handwriting activates broader neural networks than typing. And analog hobbies produce more stable dopamine release, avoiding the peaks and crashes that generate anxiety.

Can I combine analog and digital?

Not only can you, but you should. The most sustainable approach is hybrid: use digital tools for work and communication, and reserve analog for leisure, creativity, and wellness. The movement doesn't ask you to throw away your smartphone. It asks you to question whether you need to check it 96 times a day (which is the average).

Conclusion: It's Not a Rebellion Against Technology, It's a Rebellion Against Excess

The numbers speak for themselves and point in one direction. When half of Americans are actively adopting analog habits, when vinyl outsells CDs in revenue for the first time in 40 years, when yarn kit searches grow 1,200% and independent bookstores open faster than coworking spaces, we're looking at something bigger than a consumer trend.

We're looking at a cultural correction. The promise that technology would make our lives easier was partially fulfilled, but the cost — 7 hours of daily screen time, AI fatigue, digital anxiety, privacy erosion — turned out to be higher than anyone anticipated.

The solution isn't going back to 1985. It's consciously choosing which parts of our lives deserve to be analog and which need to be digital. The data shows millions of people are already making that choice. The question is whether you'll keep staring at a screen or pull a vinyl record off the shelf.