Touch grass movement. Social media returning to being 'sad' /uncool, as in very deeply and widley held, not just in the slightly ironic form it's sorta in now. As it was before. Well as it was with early internet/messageboards. It'll be a minority interest for 'basement dwellers' again. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Discussion
Ah.
I think about quitting tech frequently. Start a small service business instead.
It's not 1:1 to what your talking about. But I relate to the growing disillusionment towards tech. At least that's what I interpret it as.
Yeah I'm not sure I'm gonna extend it too far, to 'tech', but I think screentime/social media for sure. I'm making a fairly safe bet on this I reckon. Doesn't seem remotely farfetched. I think what you're describing is possible tho for sure.
In hindsight. The disillusionment with tech is just me projecting. People love tech more than ever. I'm just not one of them.
Nah you're not projecting. Yes a lot of people love tech but there is a growing number becoming disillusioned.
Honestly the Unabomber manifesto called so much shit right.
Not sure how connected this really is, but I've been pleasantly surprised at how many people in the same age bracket as me (20's - early 30's) have at least a passing knowledge and interest of mechanical watches.
It always gets said "young people don't care about watches anymore" but I've had some pretty in depth chats about AP vs Rolex and shit with people my age and I get comments on my own watch too.
The link to what you're saying in the OP is that watches were pretty much reintroduced to younger people through the Apple Watch, Fitbit, and other smartwatches.
After getting used to wearing something on their wrist again, a lot of people were like "fuck this buzzing thing that makes me constantly check notifications, I want an actual watch."
And I'd also say the way people think of watches is the total opposite to tech. An Apple Watch is only good until the new one comes out six months later. Then its value halves.
Whereas people pass down Rolexes, APs, Pateks, etc down through the generations. They last forever and have sentimental value attached to them.
Whereas an Apple Watch is just another disposable consumer good.
I think that newfound appreciation for old school mechanical watches reflects the touch grass vibe if you get me.
🤔yeah maybe. I think luxury mechanical watches are sort of attached to other phenomena, it's pretty attached to crypto culture and luxury culture in general obviously. which an apple watch doesn't actually offer. And you sort of have to prove your worthiness by knowing about it (eg asking someone wearing a slayer t-shirt to name 5 songs lol). No idea really lol. I know nothing about watches or watch culture lol
I do think there is a certain pocket of influencer culture for luxury mechanical watches tho. I think that is real lol. As 'more authentic luxury' to stand apart from the less-good influencers. And then there's the other tier of Casio recommenders cos that is what Steve jobs wears or something. I'm just saying it's all potentially inescapably social media desires atm lol.
I don't know if being solar powered is still considered mechanical, but I've almost always had a watch. My least favorite feature of the fit it was that it didn't wear comfortably with a watch, and the fitbit watch sucked. As did a couple other fitness tracking watches I tried.
Gave up on that nonsense and went back to my trusty Seiko, then let my wife upgrade it to a Citizen. Don't need anything fancier than that. Kinetic watches were OK too, but I prefer solar.
I like a few dials and gizmos on my watch face, but I hate the date function. They never work properly with our screwy month system, and I can't be bothered to fuck with my watch every time a month has less than 31 days. However I don't mind fixing it for DST twice a year.
I also like second hands that tick/stutter a bit. I don't trust them if they move too smoothly.