0:00
/
0:00
Transcript

You Can't Touch This

Is digital fatigue inspiring a return to IRL experiences?
5

Algorithms. Doom scrolling. AI Slop.

It can all feel a little hopeless.

But signs are pointing to a return to a time when things were more tactile and analog. A yearning for what the kids are calling “physical media,” or what Gen Xers call…our stuff.

Vinyl. DVDs. Books. Print magazines. It’s all making a comeback. Not just with Gen Xers, but with Gen Zers who weren’t even alive when Sam Goody was a thing.

Is this just a TikTok trend, nostalgia, wishful thinking, or something more?

We tackled this topic just minutes ago during a Substack Live chat with writers

, and Woznicki.

Here are some of the things we talked about:

  • Why the algorithm makes us feel worse the longer we scroll

  • The emotional difference between streaming a song and holding the record

  • Why Gen Z is buying DVDs and cassette tapes

  • The mental health benefits of writing longhand and the surprising comeback of cursive

  • The return of speed dating and the end of endless swiping

  • What it’s like moving to a new country (hi, France) and using tech to build real community—not just followers

  • What we miss about waiting for a record, a magazine, a conversation

  • And the thing we’re all actually craving underneath it all: community

Aside from the fact that things got weirdly glitchy whenever we mentioned the words TikTok and AI (Big Brother’s watching!), we had a great chat.

Look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Get more from Jonathan Small in the Substack app
Available for iOS and Android

Discussion about this video

User's avatar