Linus ✦ Ekenstam@LinusEkenstam
Over the last few years, it's been observed more and more that the real world actually has a lot to offer.
the current generations has gone through a complete 30+ year cycle on the digital trail, and thus entered a new stage. A stage of slight repulsion. Much like the 60's and 70's revolted against the generation before them.
But the interesting play here is that there is a revolt against millennials and to some degree the boomers, but clearly the millennials are revolting against themselves too.
Continuous learning, and higher self-awareness has made the millennial generation better positioned to lean into change than their pre-cursors.
So when I saw explode, its an understatement. We are already seeing it with music festivals and low hanging fruit of sorts being sold out a year in advance. We see it with large gatherings a conferences bringing in more people than ever.
But we also see it in neighbourhoods, boots on the ground sort of grass roots movement. Run clubs, matcha clubs, listening cafes, sauna clubs, book clubs, walking clubs, €%&/ clubs. You name it.
But analog does not mean = IRL only, it also means love for tangibility. We see vinyl outselling digital downloads. We see a love for single purpose tech, like corded phones for our homes (albeit still powered by our phones or a digital backbone) but we long for the simplistic and understandable. A counter to the black piece of glass that has become synonymous with technology today. We want quirk. we 3d print. we make.
At first this was only observed as a fringe, perhaps, lowkey slow movement. Of people choosing to offload their social media apps, install app blockers, and go outside to touch grass. This feels like the hard-core group. But the thing is, from that group an emergent behaviour and pattern has emerged. A pattern that cleary shows a high degree of disdain for technology, social media and AI. Definitively hate for AI.
It's very clear at this stage, this is not some fringe movement in the back waters of society, this is a movement front and center in the zeitgeist today.
Seriously just open the explore page on IG after dwelling in this subject for a day, and the algorithm will show you exactly whats going on in this part of the internet.
Slowly at first, and suddenly everything at once.
The counter to this movement, is basically whats happening closer to what I call home. The AI sphere, the agentic systems, your claws, your codex, your computers. The one man $1bn business, the hustlers and innovators, who might be drawing a last sip of the golden goose as I type.
You see when normies are busy trying to unwind their addiction to tech, the maximalists are not just doubling down, they are coming for it all. full on. no breaks.
We are living though the most transformative moment since the industrial revolution, perhaps even the invention of electricity. Yet there are these jing and jang forces at play, that some how keeps the universe in some sort of balance. While chaos continues to unfold.
Make sure you take note. Remember this time. Its fleeting, but in hindsight, I'm certain we will all think that we should have done this or that. Keep your head up.
