The Resurgence of Physical Media: Why Physical Media is Making a Comeback

Cheyenne Johnson
6 minutes ago
3 min read

Photo credits: iStock/Getty Images

Physical media has been on the rise again lately, experiencing a resurgence of interest as individuals build their collections of various items like CDs, vinyl, cassettes, and DVDs. If you're on social media, you've probably noticed this trend spreading wildly and maybe wondered to yourself why suddenly everyone is buying outdated media. To help answer that question, we've explored the reasons for this renewed interest and compiled them in this article, "The Resurgence of Physical Media: Why Physical Media is Making a Comeback."

One of the main reasons people are becoming more interested in building their physical collections again is because they have a desire to have true ownership of the media they consume. Streaming and digital purchases have been leaving audiences scorned as licenses run out and different things like songs, movies, TV shows, and video games are no longer available on certain platforms. This can get quite frustrating when you've paid for something digitally just to have access to it ripped away. Building a physical collection of media to consume can help remedy this issue as you can always pop in a DVD or CD instead of having to hope that services like Netflix or Spotify won't take away access to your favorite show or song.

Photo credits: iStock/Getty Images

Streaming prices are another reason people are turning to physical media again. There have become too many streaming services to keep up with these days and it's frustrating when each one has some kind of exclusive content; some shows or movies are only available on a certain platform, leading people to need several different streaming services to keep up with the content they're interested in. With all the streaming services charging several dollars a month to subscribe, it can really blow a budget and make certain media inaccessible. Physical media helps with this as people have been able to find some of the content they're interested in cheaper through thrift stores or used marketplaces.

Another huge reason consumers are finding themselves interested in physical media again is because of nostalgia. Many of us grew up in a day and age when physical media was king. We'd watch movies on VHS tapes or DVDs, listen to music on CDs, or game with game cartridges. There's a certain tactile appeal to handling the physical platforms we used to consume, letting us yearn for when times seemed simpler. Even if someone didn't grow up with certain physical media platforms, there's still a novelty to collecting and it creates a pretty cool aesthetic.

It's also safe to say many of us are feeling fatigued when it comes to this digital age. We're constantly connected to screens and are victims to social media algorithms, so it's nice to be able to unplug from being online and consume media the old-fashioned way. Physical media can help with digital detoxing, something many of us struggle with as there's so much content constantly available at our fingertips. Moving towards using more physical media has been helping many individuals create healthier habits and switch to a more meaningful way of consuming content.

Are you starting to shift away from digital media to physical again? What collections are you interested in building? Let us know on our socials!

Written By Cheyenne Johnson