Just a few years ago, we thought the technology of old would be all well and done by the time we made it into 2020. However, despite all of our best guesses, this has not been the case.
Old inventions like photobooks, polaroids, and vinyl have seen a huge surge in popularity as of late, and in this article, we are going to be discussing exactly why this is the case (NY Times has a take on it as well). Let’s get right into it.
Getting The “Old-School” Experience
Despite the many advantages that technology can bring, there are still a few areas where it outright misses the mark. Many people feel like viewing things on a screen is just not the same as seeing them in real life, and this experience is intrinsically valuable in its own right.
Having a photo of you and a loved one in your hands just brings about a different feeling than if you were to view the same image on the screen, and it is somewhat difficult to describe why this is the case.
Luckily, you already more than likely know exactly what we mean by the aforementioned point, and in reality, no explanation is needed. Moreover, if you want to see evidence of this, you can just look to photobook websites like www.mysocialbook.com.
Sites like these allow people to get their photos from social media/computers and bring them to real life by means of a photobook, and the fact that this service is becoming more popular is more than enough evidence to prove that people just prefer tangible things rather than their digital counterparts.
This exact same point can be said about Vinyl, and it is one of the main reasons why vinyl is becoming popular again according to Tenure, even though other tech dwarfs it in terms of functionality and usability.
Old-school tech is able to just make us “feel” things differently, and whilst this may be a little on the vague side, anyone that has spent time with photobooks, polaroids, or vinyl will know exactly what we mean.
Something That Can Last Forever
While music and photos stored online can literally last indefinitely, real-life amenities just seem like they win in terms of longevity. This is due to the fact that you can always have them by your side – no matter what.
The online world is still relatively new to us, and there are so many factors that can go wrong that could cause us to lose our beloved music and photos. Is the internet down for some unknown reason? Well, you can forget about listing to your new favourite song on Spotify. Your PC crashed? If you are not too technically proficient, then you may have just lost your digital possessions forever.
Real, tangible objects are much more in our control when it comes to their safety and longevity, and because of this, things like photobooks, polaroids, and vinyl just appear to be much more reliable.
Old-world technology is always going to have a special place in our hearts, and in reality, they just have that special something that their digitised alternatives are not able to offer.
Never gloss over just how important “feel” is. It’s something that is incredibly hard to explain, but we all know that old-school tech is just able to invoke more emotion out of us. Have fun.