If someone asked you ‘What’s the next big shift?’, what would you say?
I bet a number of people would bring up AI and automation. Making things faster and cheaper. That your gran can now use AI and Agents to build an app, launch it, market it and make a few bucks from a few spoken prompts from her rise and recliner armchair.
Well, I disagree.
Shocker I know. The sustainable dev who doesn’t believe slapping AI on everything is a good thing. Let alone giving a bot agent licence to access all your personal records, social media and banking. Holy smokes.
No, instead what I have been seeing and hearing is the rumbles of quite a different narrative.
The next big shift
People don’t actually want AI in everything. They don’t want computers controlling every aspect of their lives. In fact, they’re getting sick (literally) and tired (oh, so tired) of staring at screens all day. And yes, I see the irony in a web developer stating this when it is their job to do so.
There is a huge uptick in people purchasing old cameras, mp3 players and dumb phones.
The shift away from big tech
It also feels like there is actually a shift away from big tech. 2026 is the year of claiming back digital sovereignty. That phrase ‘digital sovereignty’ is hard to escape if you’re in and around Europe. In essence, it means not wanting to hand everything over to money making machines owned by conglomerate ghosts you never know. Owning your data.
This is in stark contrast to what the AI businesses maybe want you to think, their products aren’t helping to make things easier, faster or better. They distract and add bloat. They make mistakes. Bloody big ones! And the people now ravaged by ever shortening deadlines aren’t fixing those mistakes. There’s no time to.
Overall though, there seems to be a movement towards slower practices in addition to analogue experiences that embrace craft.
A rise in ‘cosy’ hobbies
Want to spend a week in nature, building wooden furniture with your hands and traditional tools? You can.
In the same vein, you can book onto a course and make a wooden surf board or handplane.
In fact, there is a boon in more cosy hobbies that include crafting of all kinds.
Young people are congregating to crochet, make pottery, and enjoy supper clubs. Anything and everything that involves time and focus away from screens with other humans. Communities are not just starting, they are thriving.
Another hobby from the past is growing again, too.
Couch gaming making a comeback
My childhood was spent outdoors, skating and playing basketball. But when I wasn’t outdoors, I was inside with a group of friends huddled around a small screen playing video games. Specifically, split screen couch co-op games. Games such as Smash Bros, cart racing games and the like.
Modern video games are created for solo players, sat alone whilst being both connected and disconnected from others in massive online servers. To be honest, it is much the same as social media. It’s not very social.
Retro games console sales are on the rise. yet another sign that people don’t enjoy the fast-paced siloed experience that live service games of today are creating.
But there is another shift happening as well.
A rise in tech-free tourism
Tech-free holidays are now a huge business. Aimed specifically at those who feel that their attachment to their phone and being ‘always on’ is an issue. Which it is. Countless new businesses in the UK have been set up since 2020 that offer peace and quiet in the countryside. No phones – you’re encouraged to put them in a lock box – no signal.
Instead what you receive for your money is idyllic views, campfire, saunas, cold plunges, books, and time spent with those close to you. It’s a quality time renaissance. A literal and visceral body shock. A wake up call for the senses.
What does this mean for design and tech?
Personally, I believe people are now rather jaded with the ultra fast-paced tech world. People want something with heart, with feeling. They want something slower. Contrary to the AI tech bros thinking, humans aren’t the same as AI data centres. The comparison of energy usage is ludicrous.
Many design and creative agencies are talking about their craft. Delving more into how they create brands and sharing more of that thought process. Not just the final polished brand assets. It’s the messy, real, scribbles in a notepad creativity.
One final shift that I have noticed is that website clients are now actively interested in static sites. Not immediately jumping into asking for a CMS.
WordPress still dominates my workflow, for sure, but clients are curious about what else is out there. Spending time on crafting the right content and messaging, and slowing down on the process of updates.
Inherently, static sites are also more secure. There is no database to hack. No server that is dynamically rendering pages on request. Just quietly serving static assets from cache. Again it is an older form of the web making a come back.
So what’s the reality of the web in 2026 and beyond?
I think it is one that will slow down. Not in terms of the number of websites or that people will use the internet less in their daily lives. That is rather embedded into how the world works. But the way in which websites are created.
I believe people will want to work with experts who really know their craft. Those that care deeply and take their time, rather than using AI in an attempt smash out the quickest turnaround. I think we will see more ‘hand crafted’ digital experiences that perhaps support those in person ones. Something more humane, expressive and slow.
What do you think?