Exploring the resurgence of analogue media

The more digital our lives become, the more appealing the analogue world seems to get.

Films, music, photographs, and most forms of media now exist largely in digital spaces. Yet, almost paradoxically, the generation that grew up in this hyper-digital world is leaning more towards different forms of analogue media. From buying vinyl records to old models of digital cameras or CDs of early 2000s movies, the youth have developed a growing fascination for analogue media. A single scroll through Instagram or TikTok is enough to notice this resurgence: grainy digicam photos, record players in homes, wired earphones, and shelves lined with books and CDs.

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At first glance, the phenomenon appears confusing because technology has spent decades trying to achieve perfection. In fact, it has gotten to a point where a single smartphone is capable of allowing users to stream movies, listen to music, and take pictures. As such, choosing older and less convenient forms of media feels almost contradictory. Then, why is there a growing resurgence of analogue media? It may be attributable to two things: the sense of ownership that analogue media provides and nostalgia for a period of time that we have come to heavily glamorise.

The first reason is perhaps the most tangible one. Analogue media gives us a sense of ownership that digital media often cannot. When we buy a digicam, a CD, or a physical book, we aren’t just paying for access to its contents; we are owning an object that becomes attached to a particular moment in our lives. Digital media, on the other hand, gives us access, rather than ownership in the traditional sense.

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We may have hundreds of songs saved on Spotify or a thousand pictures stored on the cloud, but very little of it actually feels like it belongs to us. There’s a transactional relationship that alienates us from digital media because a subscription can always expire and a film can simply disappear from a streaming service. A physical collection, however, grows slowly and more deliberately, thus making it more personal. With different forms of physical media, we develop an attachment in knowing this fully belongs to us; these objects gradually collect memories, scratches, and annotations which make them feel incredibly precious over time.

Further, a large portion of the youth is fascinated by eras they were either too young for or never lived in at all. The early 2000s, for example, have been transformed into an aesthetic characterised by flash photography, wired headphones, chunky MP3 players, and low-resolution images. Ironically, social media has played a significant role in designing this nostalgia. There are various posts online of people recycling older fashion, music, and technology, presenting them as symbols of a simpler, more exciting, as well as authentic era.

A blurry photograph taken on an old Sony camera can now feel more desirable than a perfect photo rendered on the latest smartphone. The imperfections are part of the appeal. The grain, distortion, and awkward lighting make photographs look less polished, which is possibly what makes them feel more uniquely ours.

Due to the nostalgia and glamour of the past, owning a physical copy of your favourite album or a CD of your favourite movie holds greater sentimental value. For the youth, analogue media is more than just outdated technology; it’s a way of borrowing the aesthetics, authenticity, and simplicity of a past they wish they could have experienced.

Ultimately, the resurgence of analogue media is not really about rejecting modern technology. Young people are not giving up their smartphones for MP3 players; rather, they’re finding value in what digital media lacks. Physical media offers a fulfilling sense of ownership, while its imperfections and associations with the past make it feel more personal and nostalgic. In a world where everything offers instant gratification, analogue media gives us something that requires us to truly slow down, embrace the inconveniences, and live in the moment. It introduces us to a different method of expressing ourselves and storing all the things that give us joy. Perhaps that is exactly why the more digital our lives become, the more appealing the analogue world seems to get.

Prothoma Banerjee loves her dog. Send her substack recommendations at prothomabanerjee.bd@gmail.com