The Power of Physical Media in the Digital World
It is prevalent that we are in the most technologically advanced period in history, information available at the tip of our fingers, unlimited data and knowledge inside tiny rectangles that glow. All possible forms of media accessible at a click and swipe, anywhere you go. Yet there has still been a revival and resurgence of physical media and mediums such as Records, CDs, DVDs, and more. But what about physical media makes it so valuable that it keeps returning, and why did it ever go away?
Growing up, I remember being surrounded by physical media, it made up many of my core memories. Choosing a dvd for family movie night, searching through our binder of cds in the car to put on songs instead of the radio, going to Barnes and Noble or the Scholastic Book Fair and flipping through the books and trinkets that I wanted more than anything. Taking photos on my moms disposable camera and waiting ecstatically for them to come back after being printed. Using all different objects, each with its own purpose to give some entertainment or service. Creating not only a use or service but the experience.
Whereas the digital realm came in and provided the ease of multi-use in such an accessible product, limiting the need to physically choose and sort and organize the media used before. Now don’t get me wrong, I am not a anti-phone, anti digital person. I use my phone, A LOT, for music and movies, and maps, and texting, and so much more because its all on this tiny device I can bring everywhere. But something I cannot bring or gain from such a modern device, is the experience.
The feeling of going to the store, strolling through isles, looking around at records, finding a cd you love, looking through movie DVD’s and memories of popcorn and candy buzzing through your mind. There is an entire realm of feelings and connection with doing something physically, wether it is picking up something you want to buy, looking at something new, flipping through pages. Feeling, observing, and analyzing not just a product but a possible extension of yourself and your interests. Being able to hold a cd or record you emotionally resonate and connect with, and being able to posses and present it by simply just owning and storing it, is something digital media cannot do.
Another extension or connection derived from from physical experiences is movie theatres. Similar to before, so much has been moved to digital, especially film and television switching mainly if not entirely into releasing movies only onto these services. While being able to watch a movie at home is not new, the inability to watch something away from home is.
Yes you can stream on computers or phone anywhere possible, but certain movies only being released onto their own platforms, never reaching the big screens, eliminates the possibility of experience a movie to its full extent. Covid was a huge factor into a lot of changes and world events, and especially living day to day. Once people pulled away from theatres, they found it an ordeal to attend, pushing the companies to make the entire realm of film and television into the streaming realm.
But as physical media has made its recurrence so has activities like going back to the theaters. Blockbuster releases, going with friends and family, watching and feeling the same things with a room full of strangers. It is the little moments and aspects of being in person and physically present that changes a moments from a simple viewing on a digital screen to moments captured in time, core contributors to a persons life and connection to art and the world itself.
Now the big picture is, digital will not stop or be stopped, it has been embedded into our everyday life, in every aspect of our living, so to ignore it or plan life around it is either difficult or unrealistic. However, it is not ever a bad thing having all of the data or information, especially in such an accessible format. But to completely erase or neglect the forms of media and tech that came before it and laid the foundation of modern techs use is wasteful, harmful, and even confusing, as people lose the spark and connection to physical objects and their contributions as well as services that are provided just as well as digital has.
I think being able to integrate and combine the use of physical media as well as digital, such as cell phones, can create a beautiful mix of accessibility as well as connectivity and experiencing the media how it is meant to be consumed. Not just a screen, but so much more.
