No, it’s not just vinyl
I’m a little too old to remember when Netflix was a mail-in DVD rental service.In front of streaming services and search function literally anything in the world The Internet meant that the only way to consume media other than going to the cinema or listening to the radio was to have a physical copy of it.
I know some of you are rolling your eyes seeing me talk about this like it was a long time ago, but it’s a time gone by and a time I’ve had very little experience with. By the time I was in high school, physical media was a thing of the past. So half of my textbooks are only available online through his Inclusive Access, and the bookstores don’t even have the textbooks, I have to order them online.
However, I don’t think this is necessarily a good thing. Digital media is great, and the fact that the Internet has made things more accessible is great. But it has its drawbacks. So lately I’ve been spending a lot of time in thrift stores picking up DVDs of my favorite movies and actual CDs of my favorite music.
I’ve found that having a physical copy of things makes more sense. Songs are no longer just on-screen titles that you can freely skip, delete, or add to playlists on Spotify. These are the tracks on the disc that you have to hold in your hand and put into your boombox.
When I have to find and insert a DVD or borrow it from the library instead of scrolling through a list of 100+ movies on Netflix, I am much more present and focused on what I am watching. increase. It’s not just a tab I click on, it’s a work of art I had to get my hands on to consume. , our attention span is getting shorter and shorter.
According to the National Center for Biotechnology Information, in 2000 the average human attention span was 12 seconds. However, by 2022 it has been reduced to 8.25 seconds. This is partly due to increased internet usage. Social media is designed to show you as much information as possible as quickly as possible, which makes you want to keep scrolling. This reduces your ability to focus on one thing for a long time and makes your brain need more stimulation at a time to release chemicals like dopamine.
In an internet age of constant distraction and instant gratification, it’s easy to think that everything is disposable. You can close windows and scripts on your laptop. Hamlet No need to carry it back on the bookshelf every time you move it. But once you get the play, it suddenly becomes real and tangible in a way ebooks can’t. Text becomes text, a work of art outside of you and your mind, no longer something you can draw and erase at will on the screen. I like being able to hold something I like in my hand, stack it on a shelf, flip through it and choose something.
Plus, relying on streaming services for everything is risky. We take the Internet for granted, not just having access to it. Putting music in an MP3 player is a physical copy that you can carry around. no Designed for This makes it very easy to lose everything in one fell swoop.
I brought my phone in last week to have the screen replaced and somehow the battery was destroyed in the process. Yes, it’s very difficult to damage the battery while you’re working on the screen. was missing for a day.
I quickly realized what I could and could not do without my phone. I only listened to my CDs in the car, and needed an MP3 player or walkman to walk around or listen to music on the bus. I lost access to the book I was reading on my phone and was only able to access it on my phone no matter how many shows I downloaded to the Prime Video app. Aside from the obvious problem of not having a way to contact people, I’m really glad I collected the CDs this month.
I’m a picky eater, I’ll admit it, and I kind of hate it when my drive soundtrack is at the mercy of the radio’s whims. I like familiar things, and I’m used to choosing my own music.
Additionally, in December 2022, HBO Max removed a series of shows from its streaming service as a tax deduction.This is the only place where you can access a lot of the shows other than having a physical copy and some of them were never physically released and unless someone pirated them before they left It has become a lost medium. final space It’s just gone. There was no DVD release, HBO Max pulled it. So many artists’ works were wiped out.the only way to watch final space Either you already bought a DVD copy or somehow you can get your hands on the DVD now.
It’s no good if media access is subject to the whims of corporate executives. I don’t want my ability to read my favorite books ever again to be taken away by a money-grubbing CEO.
And finally, although it doesn’t sound like my Apocalypse prepper cousin, I think I’d go insane if something happened where Wi-Fi was nowhere to be found and no longer accessible. everything. Books, music, movies, if everything I had was on a streaming service, the zombies wouldn’t have attacked me first.
Collect Physical Media! It’s fun to have a collection of CDs with booklets and album art and a DVD with all the bonus content instead of paying extra. Be more aware of the art you have access to and make consuming it more meaningful.
Don’t let business people you never meet choose what they see and don’t see. No more risk of losing your entire library if you can no longer afford a subscription. Also, and most importantly, if aliens attack us all, at least we can watch the sun explode while listening to music. favorite music.