Go Analog! Digital Minimalism, Offline Living, and the Attention Economy

Course Description

Overwhelmed by modern digital culture? Tired of being online? In this first-year seminar, students will explore the history of the attention economy and the growing digital minimalist movement, asking what it means to live, focus, and thrive in a hyperconnected world.

The course will center on hands-on (analog) activities complemented by readings, class discussions, film screenings, and field trips. Students will experiment with ways to step back from digital overload and reengage with the physical world and in-person connection. By the end of the course, students will develop strategies for becoming more conscious and intentional users of technology, while also cultivating meaningful offline relationships and habits that support balance in college life.

Faculty Spotlight

Forest Gamble – Lecturer, New Media

Academic background

Forest Gamble is a Lecturer of New Media at UNC Asheville, specializing in stop-motion animation, low-budget filmmaking, and illustration. He earned a BA in New Media and German from UNC Asheville and a Master’s in Stop-Motion Animation from BAU, College of Arts and Design Barcelona. His work has been featured in Times Square, the Center for Craft, CERN, TEDx UNC Asheville, and over 40 international film festivals. He has taught courses including Stop-Motion Animation, Storyboarding, Short Film Development, and Low-Budget Filmmaking, as well as classes on Creativity and Design Thinking for Innovation.

What makes this course meaningful for students?

As a neurodivergent animator and filmmaker, Gamble is deeply aware of how screens and digital media affect our brains. He is a digital minimalist—intentionally living without a traditional smartphone and doing his best to cultivate analog hobbies. In an age of distraction, Gamble believes that attention is our most vital resource as a society, especially as modern technology threatens to degrade our mental health, critical thinking, and empathy for others. Through this class, he hopes to teach students how to more mindfully cultivate their attention and gain a greater appreciation for life offline. He is excited to introduce students to vital works about the Attention Economy from multidisciplinary thinkers including Jenny Odell, Chris Hayes, and Cal Newport. Gamble wants to provide ample opportunity for students to learn from each other in this course through creative exploration, skill sharing, and community engagement.

Favorite spot in Asheville

An avid tea connoisseur, Forest’s favorite spot in Asheville is Dobra West. He loves biking around town, frequenting various bookstores, and enjoying the many natural places Western North Carolina has to offer.