Growing up in the digital era to parents with a penchant for all that is nostalgic and 20th century, I was surrounded by various facets of media.
We made use of the two varying realms: enjoying the bittersweet, soulful tapes of The Supremes, popping in bootleg movies with Korean subtitles into our DVD player, blasting Sean Paul from our desktop speakers and employing the likes of Putlocker (an old free TV streaming website) to watch Avatar: The Last Airbender when our Nickelodeon cable trial ran out.
Undoubtedly, the digital realm has been crowned victor over the physical world; everything from our media to our wallets can be found online. According to the Couch Potato Report released last year, more than 80% of Canadian households subscribe to a TV streaming platform. But it doesn’t stop at TV, as over 11 million Canadians had active Spotify accounts in 2020, according to Spotify.
The appeal of digital media is very clear-cut. It offers the simplicity and convenience of low-cost streaming sites, a (broken) promise of no advertisements, and various music, shows, and movies.
In contrast, physical media offers unique features like high sound quality, album art, scene chapters, alternate endings, and an immersive experience with a tangible copy of something we can call our own — a sort of forever, sure thing.
I realized how much I prefer this forever, sure thing when almost every mainstream TV streaming service came out with ad-free subscriptions for customers who don’t want to pay extra on top of their existing subscriptions. And I was reminded again when it registered that I pay for 2.5 TV streaming platforms, like the average Canadian patron, according to the Couch Potato Report.
Aside from frequent price surges and backing on unuttered promises, streaming services come with a few more downsides that wouldn’t exist with purchasing physical media. By indulging in what streaming services offer — often limited unless you have multiple subscriptions — we relinquish control to streaming platforms, not with our tails between our legs, but by opening the gates of our home to a present twice the size of a wooden Grecian horse. I reluctantly came to realize this when Netflix removed Greta Gerwig’s Little Women, and Spotify removed some of my favourite songs in 2021 due to licensing issues.
Although more expensive, collecting physical media might be the only solution when it comes to possessing what we love. It’s clear that media can disappear at the hands of streaming services in the blink of an eye. One night, you’re fantasizing about (re)watching the furry environmental collapse film stuck on your watchlist, and in the morning, you’re waking up to the news that The Lorax left Netflix.
However, your chances of forever having access to various forms of physical media are much more likely. It allows us to interact tactilely with the art we love, curate personalized archives, and stitch a bond that can’t be severed when contracts meet their end. By purchasing physical media, we not only keep the entertainment industry alive but also own a piece of it as well.