A new year means time for new hobbies. With this, a new trend has emerged as people ditch endless hours of digital ‘doomscrolling’ for analog activities, or 'granny hobbies', as they have become affectionately known. These include once-staid pastimes such as knitting, crocheting, flower arranging, and sewing. What's more, they are becoming 'cool'. Even Olympic diving champion Tom Daley is famously a fan of knitting, often working on jumpers and scarves in the stands as he passes the time between events.
The rise in demand for granny hobbies is not just anecdotal. Shops are seeing increased orders for such items. Arts and crafts firm Michael’s in the United States said that searches for ‘analog hobbies’ on its site increased by 136 per cent in the past six month. Sales for guided craft kits soared by 86 per cent in 2025, and the company expects that number to continue rising. Incredibly, searches for yarn kits skyrocketed by 1,200 per cent.
The owners of the store believe there is a genuine ‘cultural shift’ taking place as people shy away from the digital world, particularly in their spare time. But can grandma hobbies and analog pastimes actually improve health?
Mental wellness and the analog renaissance
As AI and automation expand, many are seeking ‘analog wellness’ to regain mental clarity. There’s no doubt that spending all day and night staring at a screen is not the best way to live. The shift to organic activities is in direct response to digital saturation and collective screen exhaustion, as people crave tactile, human-led experiences that algorithms cannot replicate.
Engaging in traditional crafts provides a meditative escape, where rhythmic motions lower stress and offer a grounding refuge from the ‘always-on’ modern world. This resurgence is driven by three factors:
The Counter-AI movement: In an age of deepfakes and automated text, physical crafting offers un-hackable authenticity. Creating something by hand serves as a personal statement of human capability and presence.
Tactile grounding: The physical sensation of touching yarn, clay, or fabric provides a sensory experience that reduces digital fatigue and improves focus, helping individuals reconnect with their immediate surroundings.
The handmade economy: Consumers are shifting away from mass-produced goods in favor of items with human imperfections. There is a growing willingness to pay a premium for products that tell a story of effort and individual craftsmanship.
Creative inspiration from artsy highlights
The artistic community continues to document this revival through high-impact visual stories. Within the 'Artsy' category of ViralPress, creators are showcasing a wide array of imaginative projects. Notable examples include a K-pop fan who meticulously decorates a GOT7 light stick with colorful beads, and the incredibly satisfying moment paint is poured over a blank Bearbrick doll to create a unique aesthetic. Even seasonal projects find a home here, such as a Chinese pet owner crafting a custom Christmas tree cat house.
However ironic it may seem for people trying to escape the online world, recording these processes transforms the hobby into a valuable digital asset. In an industry hungry for satisfying, colourful and ASMR-style visuals, these clips capture human patience that studios struggle to replicate. By documenting the journey from raw materials to a finished piece, video owners create narratives that help global brands reconnect audiences with the physical world. If you have captured your own creative journey, unlock its earning potential by submitting your footage at viralpress.com/upload.
