Flip phones and flip phones are very popular among Generation Z.

Generation Z is by far the most influential on social media today. In recent years, taking inspiration from fashion films and TV series, Generation Z has dusted off the aesthetics of past decades. After the return of 80s style thanks to Stranger Things and 90s grunge during the first lockdown in 2020, we now look to the early 2000s. . However, this return to analogue is driven by motives that go far beyond simple aesthetic exploration. So what makes teenagers and young adults trade in their hundreds, if not thousands of euros worth of smartphones for simple flip phones?

Flip phones: helping Gen Z’s mental health

What makes me different Post-millennials from those who preceded them is the presence of the Internet and social networks already in their infancy. Thus, digital natives grew up exposed to the Internet, and even “older” people born between the late 90s and early 2000s remember little of life before the advent of digital technology.

It’s no coincidence that this generation has the highest rates of mental health problems ever recorded. In fact, it has been found that 42% of Gen Z suffer from mental health conditions, primarily: anxiety AND depression.

The generation is always connected

smartphones gradually it has established itself as an indispensable technology needed in all areas of our lives: from the personal to the professional sphere. The idea of ​​spending even one day without it is almost unthinkable. On the other hand, it contains our credit cards, travel cards, navigator, WhatsApp groups with our classmates, contacts with employers and social networks, thanks to which we are always aware of the lives of others. Turning off your smartphone is like turning off your world—an unsettling and tempting prospect for digital natives.

Thinking about everything that is useful and indispensable in a smartphone and in everyday life Online then we get sucked into something smaller, like an infinite and terribly precise algorithm TIK Tak AND Instagram. There Generation Z spends an alarming number of hours in front of screens and this applies not only to physical health, but, above all, to mental health. When you spend most of your day observing and dreaming about the (artfully crafted) lives of others, you inevitably end up dissatisfied with your own. Nothing will ever be enough, and it takes very little for that feeling to materialize into “I’ll never have enough“: never been popular enough, smart, skinny. So what did she come up with? Generation Z to avoid this spiral of unhappy thoughts, a source of anxiety and depression? Return to analogue!

Flipphones, social media detox tools and #Bringbackflipphones

Summer 2023 has become a trend on various social networks, first of all. TIK Takhashtag #Bringbackflipphones which, although at first was created by the gods Millennials nostalgic, it is now used among Generation Z which is reminiscent of a time when phones did only what their names suggested. Turning away from smartphones, digital natives are trading in (more or less permanently) their latest generation iPhones for dumbasses: “basic” phones and therefore no social networks.

Countless content creator they enjoyed “experiments” of varying lengths—a week, a month, or even longer—where they tried out this radical exchange. Giving up some smartphone functions is difficult, and sometimes impossible. However, they all saw significant improvements in both metrics. performance than them mental healthdue to the lack of distractions offered by regular phones such as flip phones, which, although not permanently, helped them “detox” from intrusive notifications and social media sucks.

Sammy K. and his Nokia

An example would be experience TikTokers Sammy K.which he has been using for several months as a secondary phone, Nokia 2780. The girl in her videos says that the idea is to go to the gods flip phones he came to see her with his group of college friends. The boys, paradoxically, noticed how far they were from each other, even when they were walking together., everyone is distracted by their smartphones instead of focusing on the present moment. Thus, each of them purchased a flip phone to use exclusively in the evenings.

Sammy K. then decided to expand its use by taking it with him to one of the stages “Eras TourTaylor Swift, who also entered into a collaboration with Nokia itself. It provided give away several Nokia 2780s like the one the influencer showed.

Flip phones, 2000s aesthetics and the compromise of foldable smartphones

Behind the strong growth of the food market dumbasses There are also passion Generation Z to everything that is original AND vintage. In response to innovative €600 wireless headphones and smartphones approaching the moon, iPods and digital cameras are becoming fashionable again. That’s whyY2K Aesthetic (2000s) are back in fashion in both clothing and flip phones among Gen Z.

Nowadays, all smartphones look a little similar to each other (especially among the high-end models), unlike the phones of the early 2000s, which had significant differences only in design. shape factor. Therefore, it was easier to be or at least look original, especially after you used stickers and glitter to personalize your mobile phone. The idea of ​​owning something potentially unique is very appealing to digital natives, but it’s never as appealing as being able to emulate TV shows from the era that are now classics. evergreen. Among them is the timeless teen drama “Gossip“, where gossip and flip-flops are the order of the day.

Folding smartphones: between aesthetics and functionality

While reducing smartphone use is beneficial for mental health and beyond, it is also true that we cannot completely give it up, especially for purely aesthetic reasons. However, in recent years, some companies have been more creative and innovative than others, introducing products to a market that is at risk of becoming saturated. foldable smartphones. They convey the practicality, portability and originality that characterize dumbasseswith all the features of a top-class smartphone.

The most popular among them is Samsung Galaxy ZFlip 5, which is praised for being compact and easy to fit in your pocket, despite its 6.7-inch display when open. As a notable competitor we can name Motorola Razr 40 Ultra. This is a reboot of the company’s historic flip phone, which became iconic thanks to Paris Hilton and other divas of the early 2000s. However, this new market is missing Apple, which doesn’t seem ready to announce the first foldable iPhone just yet. at least not on September 12th during WWDC.

Despite the attractive form factor, reminiscent Y2K aestheticFoldable devices remain smartphones and therefore do not satisfy the basic need behind this new trend. The return to flip phones reflects a desire to return to existence. offline expressed by generation forever Online. Will flip phones increase their newfound popularity or are they destined to remain just a fad?

Ludovica Ogugliaro