Expensive but worth it: Exhausted by the digital world, I turn to grandma hobbies

The writer has turned to analogue activities such as letter writing, scrapbooking, and film and polaroid photography.

ST ILLUSTRATION: MANNY FRANCISCO

Published Nov 01, 2026, 05:00 AM

Updated Nov 02, 2026, 10:05 AM

Young people are turning to analogue hobbies like scrapbooking, letter writing, film photography and vinyl to escape digital overload and feel more grounded.

These hobbies cost more and take longer, but the writer says the effort makes memories and gifts feel more precious, personal and worth keeping.

Analogue habits also bring focus and intention, acting as a digital detox and reminding people that physical items feel more real than online collections.

SINGAPORE – I once spent $70 just printing out photos that I then spent hours meticulously arranging on sheets of A4 paper. Yes, they already existed digitally in my phone and on Instagram, but I wanted to scrapbook them and have some tangible memories of my year abroad.

作者转而从事写信、剪贴簿制作、胶片摄影和宝丽来摄影等模拟活动。

插图：曼尼·弗朗西斯科

发布于 2026 年 11 月 1 日上午 5:00

更新于2026年11月2日上午10:05

年轻人开始转向剪贴簿、写信、胶片摄影和黑胶唱片等模拟爱好，以逃避数字信息过载，并感到更加脚踏实地。

这些爱好花费更多，耗时更长，但作者表示，这些努力会让回忆和礼物感觉更加珍贵、个性化，更值得珍藏。

模拟习惯还能带来专注力和目标感，起到数字排毒的作用，并提醒人们实物比在线收藏更真实。

新加坡——我曾经花了70美元打印照片，然后又花了几个小时精心排列在A4纸上。没错，这些照片其实已经存在于我的手机和Instagram里了，但我还是想把它们做成剪贴簿，留下一些我在国外一年的实物回忆。