Whether you are a visual, auditory or tactile learner, we all retain information better when we are presented directly with it.
Physical media allows us to do just that.
When information is presented through a screen, we are not only more likely to forget it, but we are also less impacted by the media.
This is primarily caused by how effortless digital media consumption is. For example, you can open a music streaming app, open a playlist entirely curated for you by the app and hit play. While flipping through the collection of CDs or vinyl records you gathered over the years, choosing one and then placing it into the chosen media player requires a lot more time and effort.
This effort is what ensures you are not just absentmindedly absorbing music without even noticing the artist or song title. This effort is what connects you to the media and allows the message to impact you more. If you are consciously consuming media, the themes will stand out and impact you much more.
The same is true for reading and writing; we retain and absorb written media better when we physically write it down. Meaning that handwriting notes and reading printed books or magazines can improve multiple aspects of your life. For example, your long-term and short-term memory, recollection for studying and having stories stick in your head.
Conscious media consumption makes us aware of what we are consuming, challenging our brains and enhancing our media literacy skills.
Passive consumption not only does not allow for mental growth but also actively decreases our intelligence. As early as the development of email, the constant bombardment of information showed signs of decreasing the brain’s cognitive abilities.
Now, with short-form content being a heavy part of modern culture, there are significant decreases in grey matter in the prefrontal regions of many human brains.
This is why physical media consumption, being a new trend on the world’s most notable short-form content apps, TikTok and Instagram, is so interesting.
TikTok and Instagram users began promoting posts depicting collage, screen printing and other art that looks homemade, messy and like it had been made in the physical world. The trend of being obsessed with the aesthetic physical media is nothing new for the modern internet, as collecting vinyl records has been a trend for years.
However, this time it’s different. It is more than just one object being turned into a trend, it’s art, CDs, vinyl, DVDs and much more.
For many, this is likely due to the rise of generative AI. With generative AI becoming more prevalent on social media, many are seeking the return of man-made media.
Since generative AI content exists in the digital world, turning to the physical world is an obvious solution. Especially since programs like ChatGPT are currently still struggling with recreating collage art and similar art styles.
While this trend could be a sign of progress and a movement away from the digital world, it likely is not. Trend cycles are becoming increasingly shorter, making it hard for people to actually adapt trends into their lives. Moreover, if physical media is just a fad, soon it will be once again pushed to the wayside, unlikely to return for a bit.
Even if the trend is long-lasting, it will likely replicate the trend of vinyl records. Existing solely for appearance or aesthetic value – a collector’s piece.
With cheap CD players selling on TikTok shop, and a majority of the trend’s participants doing so only through watching videos, it is evident that this trend will not manifest into modern culture, and we will likely continue to see declines in media literacy and intentional consumption.
However, there is hope that this trend won’t just be a fad to some; it will inspire them to put their phones down, sit with their thoughts, read more books and collect more CDs.