Why are zines having a resurgence?

So you want to read something important, but a book is really too long. And a newspaper is really too unwieldy. Maybe a magazine, but they're typically a little too fluffy. Then what you're looking to read is a zine...

Across Gen Z and broadly all audiences, social media usage is taking a downturn. Studies cite fatigue with addictive scrolling circuits, leading people to try to limit their screen time, especially time spent on social feeds.

By contrast, whilst print media isn't seeing a significant uptick, publications like Holmen are now reporting a rise in under-25 readership for physical publications. These figures point to a turn among young adults back towards traditional, physical media, despite market theorisation that new technologies like generative AI and short-form content will keep Gen Z dependent.

As users look for entertainment offline, enter stage political, satirical, and hobbyist zines. These are typically booklets of folded card decorated with illustrations, magazine cut-outs, and little text descriptions. Zines can trace their beginnings to grassroots political movements from the 70s to the 90s, cultural waves like feminism and queer rights. Whilst these were often political calls to arms, zines in 2025 are typically a more depoliticised craft. A space to create a flipbook of information about your niche, special interest, or cultural commentary. For Gen Z, zines are having a resurgence as a craft as much as a political tool.

Zines were also previously an offline hobby, but younger audiences are now taking them to social media. Platforms like Substack, Instagram and TikTok under the #zine are rife with posts showing off homemade zines, inviting people to zine community events, and teaching people how to get started.

Whether zines are Gen Z's latest fad or a defining craft is yet to be determined. Nonetheless, they should be understood as a symptom of young people's weariness of chaotic digital spaces - an important foray into offline creativity.