A movement has been noticed on social media and among groups of young people, where digital is being left aside in favor of analog, would it be a definitive comeback of analog media?
The return: how did it began?
The return of the “2000s” began around 2019, with the reformulations of trends from the beginning of the millennium that began to have more and more popularity on the internet, the “Y2K” fashion gave a chance, again, to low-waisted pants, miniskirts and shoulder bags.
Along with fashion, came the aesthetics from the era, photos with filters that imitate an analog camera, cd’s and vinyls as decoration, headphones with flip cellphone wires and portable consoles began to compose the Instagram feed.
The boom of this aesthetic happened during the pandemic, when everything became digital and social isolation contributes to an increasing digitization of everyday life, streaming services, music apps, camera and photo albums just one click away, which is quite comfortable, until it starts to be suffocating.
nostalgia is the key
In this scenario, surrounded by so much stimulus generated by technological advancement and the anxiety of having everything at a distance, the nostalgia of the analog was a last appeal to a normal reality found by the youngest.
The first analog trend to become popular were digital cameras. Dating from the late 90s, the “cybershot” cameras have a unique aesthetic and bring a special charm to the moments captured by the lens.
“cool girl” aesthetic?
Therefore, cameras have become a “cool girl” item and were a special addition to the essential items to have in the bag, now the fashion is always to take a gloss and your camera to go out, and they are present at all social events.
Other items that were once again highlighted were vinyls and CD’s, because listening to music on digital platforms is cool, but physical media has a way that fans found to get closer to their favorite artists.
In addition to listening to entire albums in full and with a higher quality than in headphones, listening to music has become a hobby and more than that, collecting. Some have libraries of books, others of songs, and there is nothing cooler than having your favorite album in hand.
cool and unattainable
But the return of the analog also has problems; one of the main ones is the access. The analog has lost power in recent years and many of the items on the rise today have stopped being manufactured years ago, and finding them to buy can be hard. Most of those available on the second-hand market don’t have such friendly prices.
Another nuisance of the analog are the accessories. A vinyl needs a record player, and these accessories can also be expensive and hard to find.
Despite these challenges, the analog has gained more and more space, and currently, they are a gateway to multiple interests such as photography, communication and music, in addition to being allies for the reduction of screen time and dependence on the cell phone.
The analog fashion cycle has begun once again, proving that ease and convenience are not always so important.
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The article above was edited by Sofia Bianco.
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