A few weeks ago, I was shopping around the square, and I stumbled upon an antique store called The Spot on The Square that sells a large quantity of old DVDs for about five dollars apiece. I didn’t know why, but I purchased two of my all-time favorite movies, A Mighty Wind and Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby. At the time, however, I didn’t even have anything to play them on. Both my roommates and my parents teased me for my purchases, because what was I going to do with those DVDs? Simply look at them?
This isn’t the first time I’ve done this. I actually own a CD of the Hairspray (2007) soundtrack, and both volumes of the soundtrack to season one of Glee. And no, I don’t have a CD player. I just have a problem.
However, a week or so after my solo shopping day, I went home for the weekend to celebrate my 20th birthday with my family. My parents sat me down and surprised me with a couple of gifts, one of which was a portable DVD player. I thought it was silly, but then I realized I could play the movies I bought on it. They finally had a purpose other than sitting on my shelf of tchotchkes. I also got to bring some of my parents’ DVDs back to my apartment, so my collection is slowly growing.
This made me realize that I’m not the only member of Gen Z who is getting into physical media. A lot of us are, and we have been for the last few years.
Convenience
I find it a little ironic, especially considering we’re living in the age of streaming. The issue with streaming, however, is that it’s paywalled. You’d have to subscribe to services like Hulu and Netflix, and it’s often that shows and movies leave those platforms. On the other hand, if you buy a movie or TV show in DVD form, you’ll have it forever. Music apps like Spotify are also a hassle if you don’t have premium features, but CDs don’t have ads between every couple of songs.
Nostalgia
Another reason for the physical media craze is the feeling of reminiscence we get from it. A vast majority of us grew up using DVDs and CDs on a regular basis, as the technology at the time allowed for it. Cars had CD players; DVDs could be inserted into the bottom of TVs. I remember being enticed by the wide collection of movies we had in our cabinet, so the fact that I now own some of those DVDs is doing wonderful things for my inner child. I’m almost certain other people my age feel the same way.
Tastefulness
Lastly, I also would argue that some young people collect physical media so that others perceive them as cool and trendy. If you have all your favorite albums preserved in plastic cases, that should tell everyone else that you are hip. It’s the truth, and it’s been that way for decades. I’m not saying I’m better than these individuals, but I do hope one day people see my DVDs and think they’re perfectly curated to my personality and interests, andI’m not afraid to admit that.