You read that right. Gen Z - the generation raised on touchscreens, swipe gestures, and Instagram filters - is craving the click-clack charm of a BlackBerry keyboard.

Welcome to the age of nostalgia tech, where retro gadgets like flip phones, digital cameras, and yes, even the BlackBerry, are experiencing a renaissance - not in corporate boardrooms, but on TikTok. The resurgence is being driven not by practicality, but by sentiment, aesthetics, and cultural rebellion. And if you’re still dismissing Gen Z as digital addicts incapable of analog affection, it's time for a reality check.

📱 Gen Z and the Retro Tech Rebellion

Despite being born after the BlackBerry’s 1999 debut, Gen Z is falling for the brand that once defined corporate cool. This isn’t ironic posturing or retro cosplay - it’s part of a much larger movement of digital disconnection and identity reclamation.

67% of Gen Z say they feel “overwhelmed by digital notifications,” according to a 2024 Pew Research study. That digital fatigue is real. And it’s driving them to rediscover simpler tech - tools that offered communication without domination.

BlackBerry represents something they rarely get: focus, privacy, and physicality.

“I feel like the time of the BlackBerry phone was very nostalgic,” says Victoria Zannino, 25, whose TikTok plea to resurrect the device has racked up over 6 million views. Her sentiment is echoed across a growing subculture of TikTokers who romanticize early-2000s tech - not because they lived it, but because they long for its boundaries.

⌨️ What’s So Appealing About a Phone with Buttons?

To understand the BlackBerry revival, we have to understand Gen Z’s values. This is a generation that’s both hyper-connected and hyper-aware of the toll that connection takes. The return to BlackBerry is part rebellion, part romanticism - and completely on brand for a generation that celebrates the analog aesthetic of vinyl records, disposable cameras, and Y2K fashion.

93% of Gen Z say they use TikTok daily, yet they also lead the charge on digital detoxes. This contradiction isn't hypocrisy - it’s cultural duality. The BlackBerry, with its physical keyboard and pre-screen-life simplicity, represents an emotional safe haven. It’s not just a phone. It’s a symbol.

“It ties into vinyls and Polaroid pictures,” says Dan Kassim, 29. “Phones were tools, not the center of your life.”

This retro appeal also taps into the Y2K revival, a broader Gen Z aesthetic that’s powered entire industries - from fashion to film - to repackage the early-2000s cool factor.

🎯 Brands, Are You Paying Attention?

Gen Z is making a clear statement: They don’t want more tech. They want better tech. They crave devices that help them curate reality, not escape it.

This nostalgia isn’t about regression. It’s about retrofitting the future with tools that support intentionality over addiction. The failed relaunch of the 5G BlackBerry by OnwardMobility wasn’t a rejection of the brand - it was a missed opportunity to meet Gen Z where they are: craving simplicity with style.

Smart brands should take note: there is real market potential in nostalgia tech. Just ask the companies profiting off Gen Z’s love for disposable cameras, Tamagotchis, or flip phones.

🧠 Why This Matters Culturally

This trend isn’t just about phones - it’s about control. Gen Z has inherited a world of information overload, algorithmic manipulation, and digital burnout. Reclaiming outdated tech isn’t retro irony - it’s a form of cultural resilience.

A BlackBerry can’t run TikTok. And that’s exactly the point.

🔮 The Future Is Retro

Whether or not BlackBerry makes a comeback, its cultural relevance is already sealed. What started as a corporate communications tool has become a Gen Z totem of authenticity, rebellion, and analog joy.

Don’t underestimate this generation. They may be digital natives, but they’re also nostalgic nomads - and right now, they’re typing their future on a keyboard from the past.

In Short:
Gen Z doesn’t just want to connect - they want to connect on their own terms. And if that means blowing the dust off a BlackBerry in the process? That’s not just a flex. It’s a movement.

You can check out the NY Times article that informed this piece here: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/20/style/blackberry-nostalgia-tiktok.html