Gen Z and tech are intertwined, not through the active decision to like millennials, but because it’s always been there since they entered life. It’s also hard to narrow down minimalist technology that they can’t get enough of, because ultimately, nearly every major tech device now comes in some minimalist design. Can you blame Jony Ive and Apple for that? Technology and the demographic that was born between 1997 and 2012 have a complicated relationship.
As companies try to drive artificial intelligence or new, improved gadgets, some Gen Zers have reverted to devices that were around when they weren’t so much as a twinkle in the eye. However, some of the modern tech they do use tries to do the most with little. From cameras to computers, wearables and more, Gen Z will soon be entirely adults. Maybe soon, they’ll wind up writing pieces about the tech that Gen Alpha uses. How minimalist will things get once Generation Beta can form sentences? It could just be a giant white block that shoots out holograms.
Old digital cameras
A recent trend for Gen Z is adopting older cameras. This isn’t even about the millennial obsessives lurching back to film, but Gen Z is re-adopting old digital cameras. Yes, the cameras with the crunchy quality, poor highlights, and that awful flash of a group of people suddenly bamboozled by the bright light.
One major reason for this is nostalgia, with Gen Zers having grown up around that type of image through the 2000s. It’s also nostalgia-driven, in that it recreates the 2000s look that’s become cool again. However, like with the other products on this list, it’s also a way to keep the distractions down. One element that Gen Z is weirdly pushing back on with the adoption of minimalist devices is going maximal with what’s in their bags. A camera for shooting photos, older MP3 players or even dedicated music players for listening, and a dumb phone for making calls.
The move back to the old point-and-shoot digital cameras has also led to a new vertical in the market. Newer cameras with more modern internals are breaching the space, trying to emulate the distraction-free feeling, while still providing the modern conveniences and better image quality. This has also led to a batch of cameras going “viral,” with Gen Zers still under the influence of trends.
Dumb phones
As phones have become a central point in your everyday life, it has been pointed out that portions of Gen Z yearn for a pre-phone era. A survey from ExpressVPN indicates that Gen Z is taking active measures to cut down on screentime. Other reports also share similar sentiments with segments of the generation. The move to a “dumb” phone was inevitable.
Rather than being subjected to reams of notifications or relying on it for entertainment, some Gen Z are simply abandoning the modern smartphone to reconnect. It has become such a “trend” that there’s been a surge of interest from manufacturers to develop phones directly targeted at this burgeoning market. Commodore Callback, Light Phone, and other less connected or deliberately disconnected devices are now regularly entering the market for purchase.
Despite the friction these devices can cause, especially with those still bothered by blue or green bubbles on iPhones, Gen Z appears to be really taking to them. It also has data-backed evidence that this could be a good thing for Gen Zers, as in recent cases with Meta, it has been established that social media apps are designed to be addictive.
Whoop bands
One surprise from our conversation with a few Gen Zers was that Whoop bands can do some things an Apple Watch can’t, and they have become quite popular. The strap is designed to be worn 24/7, tracking sleep, recovery, stress, and other data points to build out a profile. It advertises using a lot of older adults, but on social media, it appears to be a topic with more Gen Z than anything.
Whoop 5.0 starts at $200, with a completely minimal design. It relies on the app for functionality, as it is literally a strap with a small screenless monitor attached. This gets more expensive once you start having to subscribe to further data, but the reason we believe it’s become so attractive for Gen Z is that it has hit the target demographic right between the eyes.
Not only is it a super minimal design, giving the illusion of fewer distractions — something you’ll spy in quite a lot of minimal tech advertising — but it also provides more insight into health. Over the last few years, multiple reports have come out around Gen Z’s approach to health. With exposure to possibly the largest amount of health-related content on tapof other wearables
Remarkable tablets
In our conversation, one last bit of tech was mentioned: “those drawing pads that are like paper.” The Remarkable pads have become a hot commodity, with its intention to recreate the paper “feel” when writing on E-Ink actually realized with the latest iterations. With Gen Z now deep into the workplace, finding methods of tradition (writing down on paper) that still integrate into their all-digital workflow is fascinating.
Remarkable tablets are essentially uni-tools, devices that are meant for one thing. However, Gen Z appears to find these incredibly helpful, as it again removes some of the distractions that an iPad or Android tablet could bring. Being entirely focused on work means that they won’t find themselves scrolling endlessly or accidentally playing a game out of distraction. As the technology has improved, so have the reviews. Our ReMarkable Paper Pro Move review even called it “note taker’s paradise,” owing to its smaller size and minimalist design.
Methodology
The author spoke with a group of people in the Gen Z age bracket, ranging from 24 to 28 years old. They also used social media, online reporting and statistics to build out the article.
