"Analogue" Does Not Belong to Everyone, Equally.
gramsci, bourdieu, friction maxxing, and in the end-- why it all matters for brands.
Market Position is home to trademarked’s long-form case studies— the place where we treat culture like an economy and desire like data:
1)Our frameworks are steeped in hegemonic patterning, philosophy, sociology, economics, and psychology. 2)Our focus is unpacking how identity and status function as a rotational force— actively reorienting consumer behavior. 3)And for you, we’re surfacing culture’s critical inflection points— giving you a demystified lens on where consumption is moving next.
TLDR… a [zillennial] thinktank, if u will ;).
I’ve been observing. Which for anyone Jane Goodall pilled, is as luxurious as it sounds — ingesting massive amounts of media and theory (jstor, loml) and thinking deeply whilst watching people interact on the streets of tonally different cities (nyc, miami, palm beach).
As such, I’ve (intentionally) rendered myself silent. I’ve been deeply online and also blissfully offline. And I have an upcoming quarter filled with in-depth, perhaps blistering, observations for you.
Of which — you should know that I don’t really care if someone has broached the topic before, because that’s never the point here. Trademarked isn’t about being “first” for the sake of it, it’s about being timely while also being deep and thorough and precise… which more often than not.. means that we’re right :D.
I oftentimes say there are two wolves within me, perhaps neatly tied up within the dissonance of being a capitalist who read WSJ print every morning from age 12, to joyfully studying marxist theory at one of the most intense research universities in the world (johns hopkins).
Which neatly sets up the stakes for why I’ve been utterly fascinated by the (arguably dissonant) discourse surrounding “analogue.” I’ve found myself blissfully participating (i’m bricked for an avg of 15 hours/day each week) and seeking out other commodified ways to express just “how” analogue i’m being (an analysis for another day).
Media seemingly agrees with me (this one by Amy Francombe is brilliant). I know we’ve all been inundated by analogue as the breakaway status symbol x trend for 2026. Brands like SET ( Kira Mackenzie !!!!) created timely brand activations around the concept — intersecting gorp core and athleisure with a philosophical backing found in leaving ur phone at HOME.
Brilliant, all of it. However, as much as I’ve enjoyed it (and as much as you all have loved searching for it—see the Google Trends graph above), I can’t shake the feeling that something’s slightly amiss.
Which also means… that I’ve done my research. It turns out there is a loose thread that we haven’t tugged yet.. which perhaps for some, might be an uncomfortable one.
Anyway, let’s dig in, if U dare ;).