My love for public libraries is hardly a secret (psst- I wrote about it before), but my recent mild obsession with physical media is spurred not only by this adoration of this pillar of community (and the fact that I don’t have to spend money on it – I’m a college student, it’s always a plus).Â
I should clarify – I’ve almost always owned physical copies of books, of which I have many. While I can see the appeal of Kindle for convenience, I always talked myself out of purchasing a tablet… and besides, I actually do reread the books on my shelves, so it’s hardly as though it’s just a colorful trophy wall! While I’ll occasionally read books through the public library on the Libby app, I don’t see the point in paying for a subscription or e-copy that can be removed from my device at any time.Â
That being said, some of the pros of owning physical media (be it DVDs, books, VHS, CDs, or anything else that strikes your fancy!)
1. Physical media > streaming services
I know I’m not the only one who’s sick and tired of bouncing between 8 different streaming services looking for that one thing you wanted to watch! As a Chicagoland native, I faced the arduous task in the fall & winter of trying to watch the Bears’ games (RIP) – it involved multiple laptops and free trials of ESPN+, as well as several location changes. Terms of service and subscription prices are always changing (yes, I’ve had to stop mooching from several of my parents’ accounts since I’m not living at home, and I’m salty about it), not to mention that stuff is moved between platforms or becomes unavailable for streaming all the time? Give me a break!Â
2. Physical media & permanence
While I agree that the price of buying anything new is a bit ridiculous these days (trust me, I read primarily new and popular fiction, and hardcover books can be like $30 apiece), once you own it, you own it. Provided that you’re taking care of your media, it can last years or even decades – while ever-increasing subscription prices would certainly add up to more than that original purchase cost. As mentioned above, things can be unavailable or removed from streaming altogether; I watched Disney’s The Mysterious Benedict Society TV series with my family when it premiered on Disney+ in 2021-2022, which was removed from the platform in 2023 and never re-added. I honestly don’t know if there’s anywhere you can access that show at all, or if it’s vanished off the face of the Earth!Â
3. Physical media & nostalgia
Maybe this is showing my age, but I remember as a little kid having shelves of DVDs (all the Disney movies start the same way; I can still recite the FastPlay intro from memory). The digital landscape has changed significantly in the past two decades, and the feeling of pulling a DVD case from the shelf and waiting impatiently for the player to power on, open, load, etc. is a throwback :)
4. Physical media & resistance
Hear me out – the consolidation of all media under one corporate umbrella whose primary goal is monetary gain is not good!!! So much of the media we consume, from news to entertainment and everything in between, is owned by a select few companies (look it up!). Digital media is, at any point, able to be edited or removed entirely; as a generation raised on the Hunger Games (among other sci-fi and dystopian franchises), the collective decision to step back and ask who is telling the story – and why – is both vital and made more glaringly obvious by the day.Â
Collect banned books. Cancel your Spotify subscription. Support public libraries, as one of the last remaining third places and as a hub of information accessibility. Buy from independent bookstores or get things secondhand, and not from Amazon.Â
I understand that not everyone can afford to own a huge collection of media, but if you’re looking to get started, try thrift stores and the public library! Some libraries also do media sales and/or have a bookstore section built in; these often offer gently used media for a few dollars or less. Do make sure to check that used media isn’t damaged beyond use if you’re looking secondhand, but it’s frequently worth a try, and you never know what you’ll find!