Is effort the new luxury? On Frictionmaxxing and why we shouldn’t label anti-consumerist trends

In a new New Yorker article titled Our Longing for Inconvenience (Our Desire for Inconvenience), the author Hanif Abdurraqib observes a collective and increasingly insistent drive toward a life full of effort. Abdurraqib illustrates the phenomenon by collecting all the micro-trends that are part of the anti-technological movement: avoiding dating apps and looking for true love on the street; taking analog photographs; listening to music on vinyl or on cassette. Abdurraqib argues that the revival of these activities belonging to past eras is nothing other than proof of how much we miss inconvenience.

As much as we may label those who walk around listening to music with a walkman as performative men, as much as we may criticize the disproportionate passion of the younger generations for nostalgia, this thin thread that still keeps us tied to the past is our last hope if we want to preserve our humanity («Convenience kills communities», a viral phrase on TikTok once said). Now that we can use a single device for everything, from watching films to ordering dinner, from finding a partner to monitoring our health status, what happens to relationships? Third places, friendships, mutual support?

On the internet, some have already given a name to this phenomenon: frictionmaxxing - because nothing that happens in real life stays offline, even if it is a trend that goes against the digital world.

What is the new Frictionmaxxing trend

The suffix -maxxing seems to be the new preferred way for younger generations to label trends. If until a few years ago -core was the most widespread addition, used to differentiate fashionable aesthetics and looks, in 2026 -maxxing has invaded every cultural sphere, from male beauty (looksmaxxing) to anything else (sleepmaxxing, beachmaxxing, jazzmaxxing). The suffix comes from the world of gaming and, not coincidentally, serves to turn any effort toward self-improvement - physical but also mental, intellectual, social - into something more like a game, as well as now representing an ultra-widespread meme on TikTok and similar platforms.

Frictionmaxxing, in this sense, is the art of inserting the greatest number of obstacles into one’s life, with the aim of making it rich in experiences and therefore in opportunities for personal growth. In one of the first articles describing the trend, author Kathryn Jezer-Morton writes for The Cut: «our love of escaping is one of humanity’s most poetically problematic tendencies, and now it’s being used against us». The phrase, which refers to investments by the largest technology companies in apps and devices capable of eliminating any type of problem from our lives (just think of Meta glasses, which make it possible to take a photo without lifting a finger and simply saying «Meta, take a photo»), best summarizes what drives us to love nostalgia and how the desire to live in more difficult conditions is, in reality, nothing more than an effort to remain human.

At the same time, Jezer-Morton’s article highlights how even a phenomenon that is by nature anachronistic such as Frictionmaxxing, born to counter technological advancement with solutions from past eras like the use of vintage devices and physical media, in reality ends up fueling consumerism and the same tech giants that the trend seeks to fight.

Freedom or loss of awareness?

Since the term Frictionmaxxing began circulating on our screens, several media outlets and content creators have criticized the trend, showing how the convenience it tries to oppose actually only concerns a small group of privileged people (to put it briefly, an Amazon warehouse worker does not need to do gymmaxxing, because they already get enough exercise during the workday).

Dazed interviewed psychologist Mic Moshel, aka The Cyber Psychologist, who explains «The friction is not being eliminated, it’s being passed down the line. The tech is filling that recovery window, without providing actual recovery». In other words, the “solutions” offered by technology (Meta glasses, food delivery apps, rings that monitor blood pressure and sleep) end up creating other problems: they disconnect us from our body, from our emotional state, reduce awareness and even weaken that very sense of agency they claim to enhance. The freedom they promise, in the end, is nothing but isolation.

Let’s not give Jeff Bezos too many ideas

As inspiring as it is to see so many people choose to add obstacles and difficulties to their lives in search of authenticity, the label that social media has given the trend raises another issue regarding its marketability. In recent years we have witnessed the commodification of any digital movement, from memes to beauty trends - we know how much brands and corporations love to exploit youth slang in their advertising, such as bed-rotting, girl-math, soft-clubbing and all the various -maxxing trends - so it won’t be long before Frictionmaxxing also becomes a keyword for selling dumb phones and wired headphones.

Perhaps the best way to embrace an authentic lifestyle is to avoid labeling anything. On reflection, the very act of naming the anti-convenience phenomenon only codifies it, making it more digestible and consequently more commodifiable. In a world where everything is within reach, the most radical act is to act without giving too many explanations, without translating everything for an online audience. If you really want, let’s call it lifemaxxing - which is nothing other than living.