In an age where algorithms shape our attention and smartphones rarely leave our hands; I’ve noticed a quiet rebellion taking root.
People are beginning to reject the hyper-connected digital world in favour of something more meaningful and less anxiety provoking.
It’s like a counterculture movement grounded in mental health and purpose. A determination to reclaim agency from the devices that dominate our lives.
It’s a response to digital anxiety – this growing unease with the constant pings, social comparisons and emotional exhaustion of our ‘always on’ culture.
And it’s a movement being led by a younger generation, the digital natives born into a world already dominated by the internet, smartphones and social media.
Born between 1997 and 2012, Generation Z are beginning to opt out of hyper-connected living, choosing minimalist dumbphones over smartphones, driven by a growing awareness of technologies toll on wellbeing.
They are the only demographic who have been spending less time on social media since 2021.
Overall a third of social media users post less now than they did a year ago, a trend most apparent among Gen Z adults.
Escaping the Algorithm – The quiet revival
In 2019, surveys began to reveal that the UK was now a majority secular society, with 52% of the public saying they did not belong to any religion.
But a ‘quiet revival’ is now taking place. A recent YouGov survey has revealed monthly church attendance is on the rise, driven largely by young adults. In England and Wales, attendance rose from 8% of adults in 2018 to 12% in 2024. The 18–24-year age group saw the biggest increase.
It seems to reflect a deeper hunger to find purpose beyond the dopamine hits of social media. People are seeking ritual, in-person community and meaning. Beyond church attendance, spiritual practices are also up significantly.
As Times columnist James Marriott put it, “in the age of the smartphone; short-form videos and social media are addictively entertaining but not very profound or spiritually nourishing.”
Doomscrolling is called brain-rot for a reason and more people now seem to be turning to God and the bible rather than Andrew Tate or the curated perfection of online influencers. Bible sales jumped nearly 14% in the first half of 2025, largely driven by younger readers.
Escaping the Algorithm – dating app burnout
A July 2025 Forbes Health survey found that 78% of dating app users feel emotionally exhausted by the online dating process.
Dating app behaviours like ghosting, gaslighting and catfishing are leading to heightened levels of anxiety, paranoia and feelings of hopelessness.
The gamification of dating apps means people are feeling commodified and disposable, damaging self-worth in ways that aren’t always visible but very much felt.
The response? In the last year, more than 1.4 million people in the UK have left dating apps and there’s been a 16% drop in the overall use of the world’s top 10 dating apps.
Attendance levels at in-person dating events in the UK are now on the rise, having increased by 42% from 2023 to 2024.
People are choosing meaningful real-world interactions over the superficiality of dating apps.
Read-dating events in bookshops are becoming popular, speed dating is returning to fashion and some running clubs now double up as dating venues.
Escaping the Algorithm – cinemas as a no distraction zones
Contrary to popular belief, young people are returning to the cinema, with under-35s now making up 50% of cinemagoers in the UK.
Silencing the phone, pausing notifications and reclaiming attention is part of the attraction.
And it’s the independent cinemas pulling in a lot of the younger audience as they seek films which offer more depth, insight and meaningful storytelling.
“It’s nice to switch off,” one 23-year-old told the Guardian recently, “I don’t touch my phone the whole time I’m in the cinema. At home I’m probably scrolling.”
Escaping the Algorithm – bookshop boom
There’s been some worrying recent figures which suggest that reading for pleasure has collapsed in the past two decades, in no small part due to smartphones harvesting our attention.
The “verdict is in: books have lost to phones,” one commentator bemoaned recently.
But counter to this, 25 to 34-year-olds have reported an increase in reading for pleasure over the past year, while all other age demographics are reading less.
And those who already read regularly are doing so more than ever.
Bookshops are thriving again despite economic headwinds. In an era of infinite scrolling, the tactile joy of browsing shelves and flipping pages seems to offer something radical in today’s digi-world.
“Independent bookshops are establishing themselves as important cultural and social centres within their communities,” according to the Booksellers Association.
Reading a physical book means our attention is not being hijacked by smartphones.
Physical books are also known to boost comprehension and long-term memory. And just five minutes lost in a story can be enough to reduce stress by nearly 20%.
Zoomed out
A recent Bupa survey of 8,000 adults found that 40% of 16–24-year-olds feel lonely or socially isolated due to their work circumstances.
More than 45% of Gen Z respondents said they’re actively seeking roles with greater social interaction compared to just 27% across all age groups.
This shift reflects growing discomfort with remote work’s isolating effects and the mental drain of constant video calls, which young workers say leaves them feeling disconnected and emotionally fatigued.
The majority surveyed said they find staring at their monitor exhausting.
And 38% report that seeing themselves on screen contributes to their emotional fatigue.
The #DitchTheDesk movement, which started on Instagram, is now encouraging younger audiences to step away from desk-bound digital routines and explore more active, purpose-driven roles.
A counterculture rooted in purpose
In a recent New Yorker piece, Kyle Chayka suggests we’re heading towards “posting zero” – a cultural tipping point where every day social media users stop sharing their life story online because it feels meaningfulness.
That remains to be seen but a counter prevailing trend towards intentional offline living is quietly unfolding across different parts of society.
It reflects a growing determination to combat digital anxiety and find real-time meaning, purpose and genuine connection.
But this desire for agency is swimming against the tide of our digital age and the rapid acceleration of AI technologies.
Mainstream adoption may be slow but the hope is in witnessing the tech-savvy younger generation, who have no memory of life without technology, leading the charge, like all good counterculture movements.
Further reading
Anxious attachment – we need to talk about your smartphone
Why people are falling out of love with digital apps
Have we past peak social media?
‘Posting zero’: Gen Z are posting less on social media
The Quiet Revival – making Christianity cool again: Why Gen Z is flocking to church
The neuroscience behind reading and wellbeing
Gen Z ditch smartphones for dumbphones
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