Dear Big Tech: We Want Our Analogue Lives Back

Remember when your phone was just a phone? Before it became your camera, bank, boarding pass, diary, GPS, newspaper, television, workplace, shopping centre, therapist and slightly judgmental reminder that you have 47 unread emails?

There’s a growing feeling that maybe we've taken the whole digital lifestyle thing a little too far.

People are buying paper books again. Vinyl records are having another moment. Film photography has become cool again. Walks are being taken without phones. Dinner is increasingly something people want to experience rather than photograph.

And somewhere between the oat milk and the analogue cameras, a new consumer attitude is emerging:

“Can I just have a moment without an app?”

For Perth small businesses, this isn't just an interesting cultural trend. It could change the way we think about digital marketing.

Perth has always had a bit of an analogue streak

Maybe it's because we're over here on the other side of the country.

Perth has never been particularly interested in doing things simply because Sydney or Melbourne says they're fashionable.

We like our space. Our beaches. Our weekend markets. Long lunches that accidentally become afternoon drinks. A coffee that takes longer than three minutes because we're not entirely convinced life needs to move that quickly.

We drive a long way for good food.

We cross the river for the right restaurant.

We'll happily travel from Fremantle to Mount Lawley because someone told us there's a better version of something there.

And despite living in one of Australia's most digitally connected cities, Perth still runs on something surprisingly old-fashioned:

word of mouth.

Who do you know?

Who recommended them?

Where did your friend get that?

Have you tried that place in Northbridge?

Do you know a good tradie?

That's incredibly important for Perth's small-business community because our relatively close-knit market means reputation still travels.

Sometimes considerably faster than your Instagram Reel.

The problem isn't digital. It's digital everything.

Let's be clear: we're not suggesting Perth businesses throw their websites into the Swan River.

Digital marketing works.

A good website works.

Social media can work brilliantly.

Search works.

Email marketing works.

And increasingly, AI can help small businesses do things that once required an entire marketing department.

The problem comes when we start assuming that more digital automatically means better marketing.

It doesn't.

A small business owner doesn't necessarily need another platform to manage, another notification to respond to or another content calendar threatening to ruin their Sunday night.

They need customers.

They need trust.

They need people to remember them.

And ultimately, they need people to choose them.

Those things have been around considerably longer than Instagram.

We're experiencing digital fatigue

Think about your average weekday.

You wake up to your phone.

You check the weather.

You check your messages.

You check your emails.

You scroll.

You work on a laptop.

You jump on a video call.

You answer messages.

You check your banking app.

You order something online.

You watch something on a streaming service.

Then, just before bed, you probably have one final look at your phone.

And then your phone politely informs you that you've spent four hours and seventeen minutes on it.

Lovely.

No wonder people are craving analogue experiences.

The appeal isn't necessarily nostalgia.

It's escape.

Analogue experiences give us something the digital world struggles to provide: friction.

A handwritten note takes longer than a text.

A printed photograph can't be endlessly edited.

A physical book doesn't send you a notification.

A conversation over coffee can't be paused while you check LinkedIn.

And sometimes, that little bit of inconvenience is exactly what makes something memorable.

What does this mean for Perth businesses?

It means the brands that win attention may not necessarily be the ones shouting the loudest online.

They may be the ones creating experiences people actually want to talk about offline.

Think about your favourite Perth businesses.

Chances are you don't love them because their Instagram strategy is flawless.

You love them because of how they make you feel.

The café where the staff know your order.

The barber who remembers how you like your hair.

The local retailer where someone actually gives you useful advice.

The builder who calls instead of sending another automated email.

The restaurant where the owner comes over to say hello.

These businesses have something algorithms can't manufacture particularly well:

human connection.

And in a world increasingly filled with AI-generated content, automated replies and algorithmically selected recommendations, that human connection may become even more valuable.

Don't abandon digital. Make it earn its place.

This is where we think the opportunity gets really interesting.

The future isn't analogue versus digital.

It's analogue plus digital.

Use digital technology for the things it does brilliantly.

Make your website easy to use.

Make it ridiculously simple for customers to contact you.

Use SEO so people can find you when they're looking.

Use social media to tell your story.

Use automation to take boring admin off your plate.

Use AI where it genuinely saves you time.

Then stop.

Let the human stuff do the rest.

Your website gets someone interested.

Your social content builds familiarity.

Your Google presence helps them find you.

But then perhaps they walk through your door.

They meet you.

They talk to you.

They experience your product.

They tell their friends.

That's not old-fashioned marketing.

That's a customer journey.

Maybe we need less content and more reasons to care

For years, businesses have been told they need to create more content.

Post more.

Film more.

Write more.

Publish more.

Engage more.

And now AI has made producing more easier than ever.

Which creates a rather amusing problem.

If everyone can produce an endless stream of content, an endless stream of content becomes considerably less interesting.

Your customers don't need another generic “5 tips for success” post.

They need a reason to stop.

A reason to remember you.

A reason to trust you.

A reason to tell someone else about you.

For Perth small businesses, that might mean showing the people behind the business. Sharing a genuinely useful local insight. Telling the story of why you started. Giving customers something worth talking about.

It might even mean doing something slightly unexpected.

Imagine that. Marketing with a personality.

The next big marketing trend might be switching off

Here's the slightly ironic part.

We're a digital marketing community talking about people wanting less digital intrusion.

But perhaps that's exactly the conversation businesses need to be having.

The best digital strategy isn't necessarily the one with the most channels.

It's the one that understands where digital adds value and where humans should take over.

Because your customers aren't algorithms.

They're people sitting in traffic on Stirling Highway.

They're grabbing coffee in Fremantle.

They're walking along Cottesloe Beach.

They're heading home to Subiaco, Scarborough, Victoria Park, Joondalup or wherever they call home.

They're busy.

They're distracted.

They're digitally overloaded.

And increasingly, they're looking for businesses that feel a little more human.

So, Perth, should we all go analogue?

Probably not.

We're a digital marketing site, after all. That would be a spectacularly poor business decision.

But maybe we can be more selective.

Use technology to remove friction where it helps.

Don't use it simply because you can.

Create content worth consuming.

Don't create it just to fill a calendar.

Automate the boring stuff.

Don't automate the relationship.

And remember that sometimes the most powerful marketing tool isn't a clever algorithm, a viral Reel or the latest AI platform.

Sometimes it's simply being a business that people genuinely like.

Because in an increasingly digital world, being human might just become your competitive advantage.

Want to make your digital marketing feel a little more human?

If you're a Perth small-business owner wondering whether your marketing is actually connecting with people — or just adding to the digital noise — it's worth taking a step back.

Take a look at The Digital Marketing Crew for more ideas, insights and conversations about where digital marketing is heading, and how businesses can navigate it without losing the human side of what they do.

Less noise. More connection. Better marketing. Explore The Digital Marketing Crew → thedigitalmarketingcrew.com