If “Analogue” Is Back, How Do You Make Your Digital Presence Feel Human Again?

I’ve worked in digital for over 20 years. Social media management, digital marketing, AI, customer service, the lot.

So when I say this, I’m not saying it as someone who’s anti-tech or pretending we can all go and live in a cabin. I’m saying it as someone who’s watched the internet change people.

For more than a decade, screens have set the rhythm of daily life. Yet beneath the glow, something’s shifting.

Social media time peaked in 2022 across most developed countries and it’s been slowly declining.

That doesn’t mean social is dead.

It means attention is getting more expensive.

People are more selective. More sceptical. More allergic to anything that feels fake.

Gen Y and Gen Z are right in the middle of it. They grew up online. They’re fluent in digital. They’re not confused by it…they’re just tired of it.

So you’re seeing a real swing back toward the analog.

Hands. Eyes. Presence. Not as a quirky trend , but as a reaction to overstimulation and artificiality.

If you run an SME, this matters more than most people realise.

Because if your marketing still feels like internet noise, you’ll get filtered out.

The “generic” signals (and why people don’t stick around)

This is more common than people realise. A lot of good businesses look weirdly anonymous online, not because they’re dodgy but because the internet rewards templates and speed and most people are busy.

I’ve had to learn this the hard way too. Your work can be brilliant in real life and still not translate online unless you build trust on purpose.

Here are a few signals that quietly reduce trust, across service businesses and product businesses.

Service businesses (trades, consultants, local services)

• Lots of polished words, not much real-world proof (photos of the work, the team, the process)
• Vague lines like “high quality service” without specifics
• No clear next step: what happens when I enquire, how quickly you reply, what you need from me
• Social posts that are consistent but not informative (busy, but not helpful)
• A website that feels written for keywords, not humans

Product businesses (ecom, retail, hospitality)

• Product descriptions that sound fine, but could apply to anything
• No sensory detail: what it feels like, tastes like, looks like in real life
• No context: customer photos, reviews with specifics, “here’s how people use this”
• Too many options without guidance (decision fatigue)
• A brand voice that changes every post, so people can’t get a read on you

If you recognise yourself in any of that, it’s not a moral failing.

It’s just a signal that your digital presence needs to feel more human and trustworthy.

Problem: your digital presence is competing in a world that’s switching off

Most SMEs are still marketing like it’s 2018:

• Post more
• Shout louder
• Chase trends
• Hope the algorithm smiles on you

Meanwhile your customers are doing the opposite.

• They’re reducing screen time.
• They’re muting accounts.
• They’re unfollowing anything that feels like a sales machine.
• They’re choosing brands that feel calm, real and worth paying attention to.

Here’s the psychological bit.

When people are overloaded, the brain goes into protection mode.

It simplifies, filters and avoids effort.

So if your online presence is even slightly confusing, slightly generic, slightly “meh”… you don’t just lose a like.

You lose trust.

A study published in PLOS ONE found that higher cognitive load leads to significantly less trusting behaviour.

And once trust wobbles, people don’t lean in.

They keep scrolling.

Reaction: what Gen Y and Gen Z are moving toward in 2026 (the analog pull)

The shift isn’t offline vs online …it’s overstimulated vs grounded.

Gen Y and Gen Z are leaning into analog experiences because they want:

• Less noise
• More meaning
• Real community
• A sense of control over attention

That’s psychology. When life feels fast and artificial, people seek things that restore agency. Tactile experiences do that. So do brands that feel human.

Here are some of the analog directions showing up hard in 2026.

1. Third spaces are back (and they’re not just pubs)

• Coffee shops hosting journaling circles.
• Board game meetups.
• Book clubs, run clubs, craft nights, small workshops.

People want places to belong that don’t involve doomscrolling.

For SMEs, this is huge.

Because community is becoming the new attention.

2. “Slow” hobbies are replacing “fast” content

• Reading.
• Journaling.
• Cooking properly.
• Gardening.
• Knitting.
• Film photography.
• Vinyl.
• Learning a musical instrument

Anything tactile, patient and slightly inconvenient.

It’s a trend sometimes called “grandma hobbies”.

It’s not nostalgia.

It’s nervous system regulation.

3. Digital minimalism is becoming normal, not niche

• Notifications off.
• App limits.
• Phone-free hours.
• Deleting social apps during the week.
• People aren’t quitting the internet.

They’re controlling it.

As one publication notes, it’s the biggest design trend of 2026.

That means your content has less time to land.

So it has to land harder.

4. Small local experiences are winning over big online stuff

• Markets.
• Pop-ups.
• Local classes.
• Independent cafes.
• Community events.

People are spending money on experiences that feel real.

If you’re a local business, you’re not behind.

You’re perfectly positioned.

5. Real proof is beating big claims

Gen Z especially has a built-in BS detector.

They don’t want hype.

They want:

• receipts
• real reviews
• behind-the-scenes
• transparency
• a clear process

If your marketing is vague, they don’t trust it.

As one report puts it, Gen Z wants “proof, not promises”.

If it’s clear, they’ll pay.

Solution: how SMEs win when people want analog, but still buy digitally

This is where most businesses get it wrong. They hear people want analog and think they need to post less or go quiet.

No.

You need to make your digital presence feel more human.

• More grounded.
• More specific.
• More trustworthy.

Here’s the framework I use with clients.

Not the full playbook. The spine.

1) Clarity: reduce cognitive load

If your offer is fuzzy, you’ll lose trust.

People don’t buy when they’re confused.  They buy when it’s clear.  This is cognitive load.

If your website or socials make someone think too hard, the brain chooses the easiest option.

Usually that means: leave.

You need one clean sentence:

• who it’s for
• what you help with
• what result they get

If you want the deeper theory behind this, it’s worth reading up on cognitive load theory.

2) Proof: give the brain something solid

Trust isn’t a feeling.

It’s a decision.

People decide based on evidence.

Proof that converts:

• short case studies
• before/after screenshots
• client quotes
• a simple breakdown of what you changed and why

This is what makes Gen Y and Gen Z stop and think ok, this is legit.

3) Consistency: make familiarity do the heavy lifting

Familiarity reduces perceived risk.

That’s why the brands you see repeatedly feel safer.

Not because they’re better.

Because your brain recognises them.

This is a well-established psychological phenomenon called the mere-exposure effect.

This is where most SMEs get stuck.

They post in bursts, disappear, then wonder why leads are inconsistent.

You don’t need to be everywhere.

You need to be consistent where it matters.

4) System: build a lead engine so you’re not relying on posts

Posting is a tactic.

A lead engine is a system.

If social media time is declining, you can’t build your whole business on hopefully this one does well.

A simple lead engine usually includes:

• a clear offer
• a landing page that converts
• a lead magnet that’s genuinely useful
• email follow-up that sounds like a person wrote it
• a few content pieces that point people into the funnel
• local SEO / Google visibility if you’re service-based

That’s what keeps working while you’re busy running the business.

5) AI: speed up without flattening your voice

I’m pro-AI.

I build AI tools. I use AI daily.

But if your content reads like AI slop, people feel it instantly.

Use AI for:

• drafts
• structure
• repurposing
• ideas

Then do the bit that makes it yours.

Add your opinion.

Add your standards.

Add the sentence you’d say on a call.

That’s where trust lives.

The trust-check (be honest)

If someone found you today, would they instantly feel:

• this is a real business
• these people know what they’re doing
• I’d feel safe enquiring
• I know what to do next

Or would they feel uncertainty.

If it’s uncertainty, they won’t tell you.

They’ll just disappear.

Want your brand to feel more human and trustworthy online?

This is exactly why I created the Website & Digital Presence Reality Check.

It’s built for SMEs who want their online presence to feel clear, calm and credible.

For £49, you get a tailored written review of your website and digital footprint from me (Alex Harris).

Not a generic audit.

A human one.

Here’s what you’ll get:

• Honest, actionable feedback: what’s working, what’s not and what to fix first
• 2–3 practical, no-nonsense recommendations you can use right away
• Delivered to your email within 3 working days

If you want your marketing to feel less like noise and more like a brand people trust, start here:

Website & Digital Presence Reality Check: https://alexharrisdigital.com/product/website-digital-presence-reality-check/

If you want me to handle the implementation after the review, we can do that too. The Reality Check is the clean starting point.