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by blakesterz 144 days ago 

  "It’s hard to quantify just how widespread the phenomenon is, but certain notably offline hobbies are exploding in popularity."
Assuming this is an actual trend that is actually "exploding"... I wonder what this means for the short term in the AI industry? Could we see a drop in users and then a big popping of the bubble?

That does seem like a really big assumption though.
3 comments
baal80spam 144 days ago
It's "exploding" in the same way like "quiet resignation" was "exploding". In other words - it isn't.
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carlesonielfa 144 days ago
People having offline hobbies is healthy and completely separate from AI providing real value to society.

If the AI industry takes a hit because people are returning to offline hobbies, it’s a signal we’ve been building the wrong things.

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moritzwarhier 144 days ago
The number of knitting kits sold (an example from the article) to me sounds like it might correlate more with the number of TikTok videos about knitting than the hours spent knitting.

The article almost encourages this interpretation, although I'd praise it for at least acknowledging the "performance" part.

It seems to mash consumerism, commercial Social Media and GenAI into one though.

Still, I try to see the positive side, and I think there certainly could be such a trend.

No idea if it's just a small part of people going against the grain, or a broader shift.

Regarding media addiction, there is a pattern that would be kind of similar, the large cohort of elderly people who are addicted to media and the commercial web, compared to the comparatively smaller portion of younger people falling victim.

Among my "elder millenial" friends, I can only say that abstinence from doomscrolling and modern tech (especially smartphones and SM) seems to correlate with integrity and smartness.

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nospice 144 days ago
> The number of knitting kits sold (an example from the article)

Also, "knitting kits" were not a thing for most of my life. You'd just buy yarn needles and yarn. This is not some kind of a craft where you need dozens of implements.

The kit is pretty much a product of the TikTok / YT influencer era. Indeed, a typical kit will often contain needles, yarn, and a... link to a video you can watch:

https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Knitting-Kit-Beginners-Acces...

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moritzwarhier 144 days ago
It fits into a broader pattern of hobbies turning into trends, and then products, I guess.

Social Media and E-commerce + dropshipping, optimized supply chains etc brought it to a new level though, in all kinds of domains.

Audio equipment, musical instruments, sports or home accessories, for example.

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