In a digital age where the average adult in Great Britain checks their phone every 12 minutes, a surprising new fashion trend is emerging as a stylish antidote to screen fatigue. Forget designer logos; the latest 'it' bag is all about what's inside: crosswords, knitting, novels, and journals.
What is an Analogue Bag?
Dubbed the 'analogue bag', this concept involves curating a bag or basket with tangible, screen-free activities designed to keep you offline. Championed by millennials and Gen Z, it functions like a prep kit for your attention span. The goal is to provide a ready alternative to reaching for your smartphone, whether during a commute, an evening on the sofa, or a weekend away.
The term was coined by Sierra Campbell, a 31-year-old content creator from California, who voiced a common fear: "My biggest fear is that I’ll lie on my deathbed and regret how much time I spent on my phone." Ironically, her initial TikTok video explaining the idea went viral, amassing over 200,000 views in just five days and sparking a major trend on social media platforms.
A Wider Cultural Backlash
This trend is part of a broader cultural shift away from doomscrolling and the pressure to be perpetually online. According to a 2022 survey by USwitch, UK adults spend an average of five hours a day on their phones, excluding work-related screen time. The analogue bag offers a tangible method to reclaim focus.
David Sax, author of *The Revenge of Analog*, supports the movement. He notes that simply trying to meditate away phone use is unrealistic for most. "Our phones have everything you could ever ask for, so you need an alternative to hand in order to fill that void," he explains.
The trend aligns with a resurgence in analogue pleasures, from vinyl records and point-and-shoot cameras to the rise of 'cosy hobbies' like pottery and crochet circles.
The Psychology Behind the Habit Swap
The concept is rooted in behavioural science. Sierra Campbell found inspiration in Charles Duhigg's *The Power of Habit*, which breaks habits into cue, routine, and reward. The strategy isn't to eliminate the cue (boredom) or the reward (stimulation), but to change the routine. Instead of grabbing your phone, you reach into your analogue bag.
"If you go to your phone for news, put a newspaper in your bag," Campbell advises. "If it’s for entertainment, try a good book. For creative inspiration, sketching tools or knitting." This approach helped her reduce her personal screen time from seven hours daily to just three.
Professor Pete Etchells, a psychology expert at Bath Spa University and author of *Unlocked: The Real Science of Screen Time*, sees this as a positive development. He suggests we are not so much addicted to our phones as we are habituated to using them. The analogue bag trend represents a conscious effort to regain agency over our time and attention.
"We do have agency and control over what we do with our time," Etchells states. "And if you are not happy with how you use your phone... it’s great that people are starting to think about what the [options] look like."
More than a fleeting digital detox, the analogue bag signifies a potential long-term change in our relationship with technology, turning the humble tote into a toolkit for a more mindful, present life.
