Ordinary Things That Feel Rebellious in 2026

Siiri
May 22
3 min read

Dearest reader,

Recently, I bought a CD from one of those old fashioned music stores and it felt like living again.

In a world, where convenience and personal curation is no longer desired, but expected, doing something as simple as visiting a music shop feels like a scene out of a nostalgic 90s movie. The fact that you actually have to spend time searching what you want while accidentally discovering more than what you came in for, and then, having to wait untill you get home before you can listen to your favourite rockstar, is a kind of satisfying ritual no effortlessly designed online curation can offer. Because it is the effort, faint chaos and randomness of situation that makes it worthwhile: scouring through albums, getting a little distracted, witnesing interactions, hearing tunes from the shop stereo that haven't been specially picked for you and, finally, after 30 minutes of desperate search you stand in front of the right shelf, the right letter and there, among all other Ys, is Yungblud's IDOLS. And when you later dig out the old, dusty CD player you also get to press a real button and hear a sound so imperfect compared to its sharp digital twin that even the music becomes more veritable as if untouched by modernity.

Moreover, there is a certain kind of delight that comes with using a CD player that I do not experience often anymore. Namely, having no fear of being bombarded by algorithm, notifications, comments, ads, limitless and readily accessiable choice or personal suggestions put together by AI, but rather, a wonderful feeling of being in posession of all the time in the world to listen to this one CD over and over again, infinitely, if I choose to do so. And that is why analog devices, media and objects feels so rebellious in 2026 – now optimal effortlessness to reach as many people as possible is switched to chosen effort to guard your energy in an endeavor to heal, maintain and enjoy life in your specific reality instead of at an engineered online environment.

And while listeing to CDs won't solve any of our bigger problems nor is it totally removed from the ruling hand of capitalism, coming back to tangiable objects to consiously avoid mindless scrolling speaks of a broader societal fatigue that is not simply another trend of idle romantization but seems like the only counter product for accelerating digital reality that is driven by faceless (often careless) tech bros behind every single smart screen in the world.

What is more, Tayo Bero, a columnist from The Guardian, words the analog trend wonderfully in her column 'Analog is back, and my millennial heart couldn't be happier' last February: Analog media adds a layer of ownership and intimacy over our experiences of the world that is simply impossible to replicate when those experiences are mediated by a screen and via tech companies (Bero, 2026). Futhermore, Bero compares our daily struggles with digitality to a feeling of being sucked into a digital black hole. A very fitting metaphor in my opinion, yet, it raises a question what will happen when we can no longer escape the digital black hole? Is there a place for the analog way of things in the future or will digitality be inescapable indefinitely? And if so, what will it mean for humanity?

Needless to say, that was when I sat down to think more ways to quietly rebel against this ligering weight that I cannot even name properly but has something to do with digitalisation, convenience taken to extreme and scenarious too futuristic to even day dream about, and this is what I came up with.

Here are ordinary things that feel rebellious in 2026:

writing or drawing in paper notebooks with penmanship
dancing weirdly at the club without caring how you look
doing things, tasks and chores slowly in your own pace
enjoying moments that won't be immortalised in anyone's camera
putting in effort and caring enough to show up and do things thoroughly
preserving small traditions or ceremonies like raising a flag in the morning
walking outside without looking at your phone
cheking time from an analog watch
bird watching
playing music from a CD
making or repairing things yourself
meeting people in person
using varied vocabulary in conversation

Finally, sure, I may still have to check my phone, post things and continue to have a digital presence, but by tapping into this analog trend also gives me a sensation of escaping the digital black hole at least momentarily – at least a little longer. And these tiny acts of defiance against the status quo feels utterly meaningful.

Yours Truly,

Siiri