#more articles

within the past year, i’ve observed that there has been a subtle trend of straying away from technology. i’ve seen this first with booktok, a community on tiktok dedicated to reading. now, personal curriculums and so called “analog bags” (curated bags that are filled with only items related to one’s hobby) seem to be the new trends created to combat against technology addiction.

personal curriculums, popularized by xparmesanprincessx on tiktok, consist of a personalized syllabus that one creates in order to learn more about their interests, similar to the kind that are present in traditional schools. many will give themselves assignments, which can include specific information about history, philosophy, anthropology, horticulture, etc. and assign themselves projects and tests accordingly. many students in their personal curriculums often source their information online (through platforms such as khan academy and skillshare) or from books that they assign themselves to read. students also go on “field trips” to local museums to learn more about their interests.

here is a basic example of a personal curriculum:

- penmanship 101

- creative writing

- social media marketing

- beginner french

although some may argue that this is nothing more than a social media trend that will eventually fall into irrelevancy, i believe that this paints a bigger picture, that people are tired of the overstimulation that social media often brings. i predict that as this sentiment continues, similar trends will only continue to follow.

*always be weary of overconsumption!