Featured Image Credit: Christophe Morin/IP3 / Contributor via Getty
Technology has never been better than it is right now, yet a growing number of people – especially among the Gen Z population – are gravitating towards older forms of technology for a difference experience.
You might have noticed the increase in people opting for film cameras or compact digital photography, and there's even been a recent trend of people opting for wired headphones instead of the more natural convenience of wireless devices.
Part of this is an aesthetic choice, as old technology can be integrated into one's own personal style while also producing its own unique look, yet for many it's a deliberate move away from the all-encompassing nature of phones, and a recent advert spotted in the New York subway has embraced this movement.
"Zero screen time" is the bold statement from refurbished marketplace Back Market in their new ad, telling people to "downgrade now" by buying an old device that often serves a singular purpose.
Advert
Front and center of this marketing is the iPod Shuffle, first released in 2005 but discontinued officially by Apple in 2017, as this device – unlike its regular iPod siblings – has no screen and features only five buttons.
Meant originally as the ideal way to listen to music on the go, the iPod Shuffle doesn't let you pick what songs you listen to but instead, as the name suggests, shuffles through your entire library to provide an endless stream of your favorite tracks.
Tony Fadell, widely referred to as the 'Father of the iPod' and one of the iPhone's co-creators, has responded to this ad in a new post on X, issuing a worrying assessment of the tech industry and its current direction of travel.
"When we built the iPod, the goal was the technology disappearaed and you could have your music wherever you were. 1,000 songs in your pocket," Fadell explains.
Spotted in the NYC subway. “Zero screen time.” An iPod Shuffle ad in 2026.
— Tony Fadell (@tfadell) May 12, 2026
When we built the iPod, the goal was the technology disappeared and you could have your music wherever you were. 1,000 songs in your pocket.
Now we’re living through a moment where people are actively… pic.twitter.com/s3fAuRCfoh
"Now we're living through a moment where people are actively looking for ways to disconnect from the infinite feed, algos, and constant notifications [...] Not every problem needs another screen, another menu, or another layer of complexity.
"Constraints create freedom [...] The future of technology shouldn't just be more engagement. It should help us be more human."
Fadell clarifies that he doesn't believe that technology is 'bad', but instead that it requires a balance between engagement and stepping back which many new products have overstepped.
It's no surprise that there are more people than ever looking for 'light phones' or 'dumb phones' – devices that strip the smartphone experience back to its basics – so Back Market's call to downgrade could perhaps be the best upgrade you could achieve right now.
