Doomscrolling is the problem of our generation. Spending 5+ hours on our phones scrolling mindlessly through reels and photos that are not giving any stimulation to the brain at all. However, social media influencer, Brynne Anika Fritjofson, has found the solution to this problem: analog bags.
Fritjofson debuted her idea on Instagram with her post “What’s in my Analog Bag.” The influencer described the bag as a way to keep you from scrolling and fill your life with more whimsical activities. She filled her strawberry tote with a book and/or a Kindle, Polaroid camera, a crochet project, stationary, and a planner.
Fritjofson even scored an interview with NPR stating, “It’s easy to get on the internet, get on social media and just kind of scroll mindlessly… I think [an analog bag] helps you slow down and embrace different things in your life that you wouldn’t do if you’re scrolling.”
This idea took the internet by storm, creating discourse on whether or not this was truly useful.
Some commenters stated, “so… it’s a purse” while others were enamoured with the idea. Is this a good idea to unplug, or is it another trend to lead to more doomscrolling? While looking into analog bags, people continued to share what was in theirs online. However, is that now counter intuitive? By sharing more of what is in your analog bag online, will this lead to even more doomscrolling as users search for more ideas of what to put into their own tote.
I also believe that this leads to overconsumption. By trying to unplug, people tend to try new hobbies, leading to buying more objects to put in their bags. However, what happens when this trend dies, what happens when you no longer are posting the “what’s in my bag?” will people stay true to what the “analog bag” really means or continue to just keep scrolling.
People on the internet lie, posting the cute and most aesthetic things in their life for likes and followers, so with this analog bag trend, are they even staying true to what they are doing? Realistically, those who are truly doing this, would not be posting about it. I seem to agree with the “so…it’s a purse” comment. The idea that you need to have a name for the bag you use to ‘unplug’ is another way to circle back to social media. How do you unplug if you continually post about it?
Would you participate in the analog bag trend?
