The Future Just Might Be Physical!!

from cassette tapes to MP3 players and DVDs, older technology used to be all the rage. whether you were around to see it all, or just missed out, you probably know about the vast amount of people who had CD players, DVD players, MP3 players, and more back in the day- some of us still do! these things were all the rage, and in my opinion, they were well worth the hype. so... are they coming back?

to answer the question, it's pretty much a fat maybe for now, but im leaning towards a yes, and there's numerous reasons as to why. if you're someone who's been subbed since i launched this page, then you might remember me posting about this on my main blog, but since then, there's been some massive updates on the topic... so let's jump right in!

one of the reasons physical media might see a comeback is that the internet (and people in general) love to make things a competition. if you really like that show, how many seasons do you have on DVD? what about that band- how many CDs do you really have? to a lot of people, the more physical merchandise you own, the bigger fan you are of that franchise- so people like to prove their love for things by collecting physical media of them.  i do think that obsession with competition can tend to go a bit too far, but in this case, it might end up being for the greater good!

another reason is nostalgia- if you've checked the news at all, you can understand why a lot of people are pretty stressed about things overall, and a common way of coping with stress is regression. people want to imagine they're in simpler times to deal with the amount of chaos the world is in today. that aside, it's also because older gen z (which im a part of) has started missing the simpler functions yet innovative look and feel of older technology- i might be able to do more with a modern smartphone, but it looks bland compared to the average flip phone from the early 2000s. most of the later gen z demographic also missed out on this era of technology, as they were either just born or just gaining consciousness when it began to die out, and want a chance to experience it. 

a third reason is simplicity and change- older technology had way less options than its more modern counterpart. there's a tiktok user known as @vioiliet_ who has been trying to inspire people to participate in a movement to switch back to older technology this january, in order to combat the problems it has caused, such as a dependance on social media, lower attention spans, and an overall lack of empathy among many people. switching back to older technology that doesn't have as much access to modern social media could help solve these issues. in addition, modern social media has lead to a lack of overall individuality for a lot of people. the bigger and more popular a platform is, the more emphasis there is on conformity- and it does bleed over into real-life settings. people having less access to social media would likely help encourage people to be themselves- and i know that it's ironic for me to say this on a news blog on a social media platform.

lastly, people might want to switch to physical media to be able to enjoy their favorite media without advertisements and with lesser risk of funding bad people. many streaming services have added advertisement blocks in their content that require a higher payment to remove, and have started cracking down on piracy sites to prevent people accessing their content for free owning a DVD of that show or movie is a one-time purchase- with no advertisements included, on top of that. similarly, many music streaming platforms have started raising their own subscription prices, and have been publicly supporting harmful organizations like the IDF and ICE, leading to many people boycotting their platforms in demand of change. as a result, many people have been considering moving back to CDs, cassettes, or MP3 players- all they require is a one-time purchase and, depending on the method, knowledge of how to download music- which there's numerous tutorials for available online. physical media has no advertisements, and can be bought second-hand for less than full price. in addition, whether or not you have access to it anymore is entirely up to you- not the broadcasters. a music website can remove songs from their platform at any notice, and a streaming service can do the same with movies and shows, and if that's the only place you can enjoy that content, then you lose access to it. however, having a physical copy or even downloaded copy of that media means you have it for as long as you want- no risk of it going away. they can't track down everyone who has a certain song burned to a cassette or CD, or a certain movie on DVD, to make them give it up. when you own a physical copy, you own it forever.

so, what are your thoughts? are you planning to switch to physical media? and if you're interested in seeing more of these weekly news blogs... subscribe!!