Videos of people assembling “analogue bags” – essentially holdalls of entertainment to keep boredom at bay – have gone viral on Instagram and TikTok. There is a growing sentiment now that the way to thrive in our high-tech world is by living a low-tech life. Most things are a lot less urgent than they seem when the option to respond or act immediately isn’t there. In the water, whether you’re floating, paddling or doing laps, there is total freedom from technology and from the outside world. Stars, planets and the mysteries of the cosmos can make the screens we spend so much time staring into seem dull.

Source: The Irish Times January 17, 2026 09:00 UTC