Authenticity in the Age of Filters: Why Gen Z Is Looking Back

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Gen Z is increasingly gravitating toward life before smartphones and social media, embracing analog trends such as film cameras, vinyl records, and handwritten letters. While it might seem like a hipster trend or aesthetic, this comeback points to a search for deeper meaning and connection in young adults.

According to The Standard-Examiner, this movement stems from Gen Z’s struggle to connect with the world around them. While parents and grandparents stumble with technology, young adults want to know how to thrive in a technologically saturated world. What was it like to live without being constantly connected? What was it like to live without a screen two inches from your face?

A recent Vocal article notes how analog hobbies give this generation “a sense of purpose, slowness, and tangibility.” These habits and hobbies aren’t just fads—they’re a search for something sacred. 

So what does this cultural nostalgia teach us about our God-given desire for truth, simplicity, and real relationships?

A Surprising Shift Toward Simplicity

In a world obsessed with iPhones, iPads, Apple Watches, and Beats headphones, it’s surprising to see Gen Z intentionally looking back to a world before any of these devices existed. Though this generation grew up with constant connectivity, many are actively seeking out “analog nostalgia” instead. 

Analog Nostalgia isn’t new. Most of us, at some point, have longed for experiences before and without the presence of anything digital. This is why things like deep conversations, hikes in the woods, and in-person hangouts are so desirable and fulfilling. 

For Gen Z, however, this yearning points to something greater. It reflects three profound longings: to slow down, to be authentic, and to live fully in the present. These desires mirror something we’re all wired for—truth, simplicity, and a real relationship with God and others. 

Come As You Are

From vinyl records and cassette tapes to film photography, sewing, and hand-written letters, one theme stands out: A desire to come as we are. 

While the Bible doesn’t use this phrase verbatim, it resounds with God’s invitation to grace. Jesus doesn’t ask us to have it all together before coming to Him—He calls us in our brokenness. 

Matthew 11:28 says it this way: “Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (ESV). 

Coming as we are isn’t an excuse to sin or remain unchanged. As Paul writes in 2 Corinthians 5:17, “If anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here” (NIV)! 

Authenticity matters to Gen Z and God. Young adults are drawn to things that are real and raw, like a Polaroid photo with no edits or filters. With one click, what you see is what you get—no filters or do-overs available.

That same desire reflects the Gospel’s truth: we don’t need to fake it with God. We don’t need to get our ducks in a row before we come to Him. He formed us, knows us, and wants us to bring our whole selves to Him, as we are (Genesis 2). There’s no plastic surgery, makeup, or coverups happening—what you see is true. 

The Beauty of Slowing Down

In a culture dominated by speed and overstimulation, it’s no surprise that Gen Z is also stepping away from screens and into simplicity. While many are still glued to their phones, others are forgoing them altogether. Handwritten journals and planners offer a creative outlet without overstimulation. Tactile hobbies like knitting, sewing, pottery, and painting take this one step further, revealing a great spiritual need: Rest. 

Our society lives at a rapid-fire pace. Rest is a dirty word, and hustle is praised. We always have too much to do and not enough time to do it. Yet when we look at God’s original plan for us, tracing back to the 10 commandments, we see that rest is a gift.

Exodus 20:8-11 says it this way: “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work, but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy” (NIV).

The Sabbath was never meant to box us in, but to birth within us a deep sense of rest that only comes from pausing, trusting, and sitting with the Lord (Exodus 20:8-11, Mark 2:27-28). Sabbath forces us to stop ceasing and place our confidence in Him.  

God designed us to pause and be still. Gen Z’s craving for slower rhythms is not accidental—it echoes the spiritual rest only God can give. Their analog practices—mindfulness, listening to music, letter-writing—aren’t just calming. They’re a doorway to recognizing our need for Someone greater.