Digital Media's 'Off Era' Is So On

Why not party and date like it's 1999?

“Technology has a way of giving us control and taking it away at the same time.”—Sylvia Hart Frejd, founder of Liberty’s Center for Digital Wellness

Imagine it’s 2007 and you’re waiting in line for the very first Apple smartphone, destined to become a cultural icon. Now, try explaining to the crowd that in two decades hence, a digital rebellion will motivate people to seek out no-frills, minimalist alternatives to curb screen dependency. In a twist no one fawning over those glossy black iPhone boxes saw coming, “dumb phones” are generating buzz. Smartphones aren’t going anywhere—let’s be clear—but this trend says a lot: We’re tired of being “always on,” and we crave boundaries and control over our attention.

We’re in a lifestyle shift: Digital detox is on the rise, and even some chronically online influencers are going dark. The new humblebrag is announcing a break from “virtual insanity” (which Jamiroquai warned us about) and rejecting the technology we once chased (and camped out to purchase).

Speaking of camping out, I’m grateful my summers were unplugged by default, so my focus stayed on friends, folk dancing, jewelry-making, color wars and sing-alongs. Our enemy was the mosquito; at the Reset camp for digital dependency recovery, it’s infinite scroll. Back then, Off! came in a can. Now we need “Off!” as policy. Minnesota, California and New York have enacted laws requiring mental-health warnings on social media. Don’t be surprised if more states follow.

No one wants to play second fiddle to a screen, but things (and people) are looking up at Hush Harbor in Washington, D.C., where guests seal their phones in Yondr pouches and actually stay present. They even host “Dumb Dating” nights sponsored by the Dumbphone—because “there’s something undeniably sexy about spending the night with no phones.” And you can still celebrate like it’s 1999 (or any pre-smartphone year) at an Offline party.

We might be healing, but we can’t fold now (pun intended). Rumor has it Apple will drop its first foldable iPhone later this year, and the brand is counting on millions of us relapsing for the must-have status symbol.

Sure, flip phones had their moment in the ’90s—but this is Apple. We can expect hype, long lines and a reinvented design statement as a new generation “discovers” the trend for the first time.

Once again, imagine it’s 2007 and you’re waiting in line for the first Apple smartphone. Now try explaining that years hence, we’ll need adult supervision to pry ourselves away from the little glass rectangle everyone’s about to worship—and then panic when it’s not within arm’s reach (a.k.a. nomophobia).

With summer camp doubling as a detox, influencers romanticizing silence and states spraying the feed with warnings, the flex isn’t the upgrade—it’s the off switch.