Synopsis: Every first Friday of the month, The Straits Times catches up with its foreign correspondents about life and trends in the countries they’re based in.
In this episode, host Li Xueying speaks with Indonesia correspondent Karina Tehusijarana about the growing popularity of shared, analogue and hands-on trends, such as a resurgence in cinema attendance to jump rope groups and custom mechanical keyboards.
As people seek ways to connect beyond their screens, these different pursuits point to a renewed interest in community and the tangible pleasures of an offline life.
Highlights (click/tap above):
2:20 Post-Covid-19 cinema boom
6:30 Exploring traditional communal practices like arisan
10:40 The analogue lifestyle: A resurgence
16:50 Mechanical keyboards and diverse communities
19:50 Emerging analogue trends such as knitting and vinyl records
Read Karina Tehusijarana’s articles here: https://str.sg/dEAyW
Read Li Xueying’s articles: https://str.sg/iqmR
Follow Li Xueying on LinkedIn: https://str.sg/ip4x
Sign up for ST’s weekly Asian Insider newsletter: https://str.sg/sfpz
Host: Li Xueying ([email protected])
Edited by: Fa’izah Sani
Executive producer: Ernest Luis
Follow Asian Insider Podcast on Fridays here:
Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWa8
Feedback to: [email protected]
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By The Straits Times | Created at 2026-10-16 10:06:35 | Updated at 2026-10-16 10:40:44
40 minutes ago








