As a kid, I remember my mom telling me about her old records. “They would open, and there was artwork in them. You could read the lyrics and look at the art while you listened to the album,” she would say. That always sounded so cool to me. My sister and I had CDs as kids, but physical media for music was becoming obsolete by the time I was around 7. Everything was on a streaming service like Pandora or Spotify. It was the same thing for DVDs. I remember only really being able to watch a movie if it was playing on a channel or if we had the DVD when I was really little. But, eventually, everything became part of a streaming service. The art of physical media has drifted away in today’s culture. However, I think that it is extremely important.Â
I was always fascinated by the idea of vinyl records. My parents would talk about them, and it always sounded incredible. So, when my grandma got the family a record player for Christmas one year, I was thrilled. Ever since then, I have been collecting records and love to look at the artwork and lyric sheets from each and every one, just like my mom always talked about. I love going into a new record store and seeing if they have the one I want next for my collection, and talking with the workers there about what I am interested in. I like talking to my parents and friends about which albums I have and which pressings I love the most. For me, as a music lover, it is another way for me to feel connected to the songs, artists, and albums.
That is part of why I believe that physical media is such an important part of life: the connection that it causes. Having a tangible object to hold on to and see in person makes everything about it feel more personal. When I listen to a record, I always feel more connected to the music than I do when it is simply playing from my phone. It just feels more real somehow. I think that connection is easily lost through social media and our screens. Sending anything on the phone is less personal than talking to someone in person. I feel the same way about consuming media through the screen — it feels artificial to me.Â
At my house, I remember always having shelves and shelves of DVDs. Disney movies, the Star Wars saga, Christmas classics, and random, one-time watches that we never got rid of filled the shelves. If I wanted to watch a movie, it usually had to be one we owned. Now, if I want to watch one of those same movies, even if we own the DVD, I will watch it on a streaming service. Similar to records, the DVDs from my childhood often had extra artwork or details about the movie that I never see when I watch movies now. I remember looking through the little booklets stashed in the DVD cases and reading about the actors or production. Sometimes, it was even just an advertisement for the company or the movie itself, but it was always something that made me feel connected to what I was watching.
Maybe part of it is nostalgia for me. The childlike wonder of movies in general, but the connection I felt then is much different than what I feel watching movies now. I think physical media, like DVDs, create connections between people. Knowing that the director or artist behind a movie or album put thought and effort into the designs on the items fosters that connection.Â
Although there are so many forms of physical media, the last one I want to talk about is books. Within our digital age, I feel like books are becoming less common. Even at school, all of my books are predominantly online. There is an option to get the paper copy, but no one ever really does. I am guilty of it too. Before the beginning of this year, I don’t think I had really picked up a book in a year or two. However, this year in particular, I have gotten back into reading, and having that physical, paper copy of a book again just makes me feel more connected to the characters, the author, and the story. When I am reading a physical book, I feel like I am in my own little world, something an audiobook or online book has never really been able to achieve for me.Â
I believe that physical media is important because of the connection that it fosters. That connection is something that I have never been able to feel through a screen. I understand that in this day and age, having a phone or computer is basically a necessity. However, I also believe in taking time to step away from the screens. Yes, I stream music and movies, and I use online books for my classes. But whenever I get the chance, I try to step outside of the digitized world and find the connection I feel from physical media.