Can we go back to simplicity?

Modern day, meeting older tech and simplicity

We are seeing now in an age where technology is so advanced. Having streaming services that allows us to easily hear our favorite music, watch movies, listen to books, etc. Yet, there's a shift that has been happening and it was going unnoticed. Well till about a year or so ago. The Gen Z crowd is moving to older technologies in certain everyday things. 

Like wanting to purchase and buy Vinyl, CDs, cassettes, and so much more! Even in the movie space, buying Blu-rays, DVDs, even VHS tapes. There's something special here happening if you ask me personally. There are much more people appreciating the simplicity, the enjoyment of things that we called "ours". What do I mean by this?

I'm talking about a time where you can go to a store. Buy the entertainment you wanted, whether it was music or a movie. It be "yours" to keep, lend out, resell, etc. A time where it was as simple as to pay in cash or in this case card. Grab what you bought, with no internet needed placing it in the thing that plays what it is you purchased and enjoy that thing. 

Today, though we have streaming services. It can be somewhat chaotic if you ask me personally. How so? Well simple, you pretty much need the internet for everything, and I mean EVERYTHING! Yes, you can download a movie to watch when taking a flight, even a playlist, and so on. But do you remember those cute little portable DVD players? How easy it was to bring two to three of your favorite movies and just watch it on the go without internet needed? Yup, those were the good old days. 

The shift

The truth of the matter is people are moving back to simpler times. I'm not saying that by any means they are completely ditching everything technological. Which if you ask me personally would be impossible in todays day. Still people are trying to find a better way to manage and go back to a simpler time that can be had in this modern age. Being that AI is practically everywhere now and even in the work place. It would be almost impossible to escape the modern technology. But the shift is happening. 

People are starting to realize that their day is being bombarded by life and things that if I'm being honest here; would have been a no, no in the 90's to about the late 2000's. Before once it was time for you to clock out of work and go home you went home. Unless you loved overtime or you were a workaholic. There were no emails, text messages, calls, etc. From your company, manager, coworkers, etc. That had anything to do with your work. 

Yes, there were some again as I said those that loved overtime and workaholics. Or even people that were on call and even salaried. Still there was a respect of personal time compared to now. Where even an hourly worker will get a call, text, email from their employer or their manager on a day off or even when they are off the clock. Which is why people are going to the brick phones or in todays term a dumb phone. 

The reason

It's simple and very straight forward. People are tired of being consumed by the digital age. Most people know that social media companies as well as other media companies love spying on their users. Why is this? Well to be able to push things to you like advertisement that they believe you will be interested in. Is this the only reason? No, not necessarily but I would dare to say it is a big reason. 

I think that people are tired of not having privacy. Though companies like Google and Apple try to tell people that they have control on what is shared, it isn't perfect. As well with companies like Facebook (META). The truth is as long as we are living in a digital foot print privacy will always be questioned and whether or not we are getting the privacy we want and need as individuals. 

By buying physical media you somewhat avoid being pushed things you don't care much about because you bought one thriller movie that caught your attention. In purchasing the thing physically you are able to buy something you are more than likely not interested in to try it for the first time without being pushed that thing in the near future. Allowing you to enjoy and try new things without being hunted down and feeling forced to buy another thing in that genre or space. 

Another key reason is detox, people are wanting to get back to going outside. Enjoy the outdoors, relax, breathe, take a walk, think without social media telling them what to think about. Something that before our phones became super smart we were easily able to do. As well as before social media and almost every household in America having either a tablet, desktop, or laptop at their fingertip. There is something about reading a physical book with no notification popping up. As well as changing the setting of your screen to avoid any migraines or head aches for longer sessions of reading. 

Lastly, ownership! Yup, this is the last reason. I think most people have come to the realization that we basically no longer own anything. If anything just own a temporary license for the media that we buy digitally. This has been talked about a lot more with the explosion in the gaming world and what PlayStation has been doing so far this year alone. With licensing they can go bye, bye and you can actually lose the things that you've purchased with your hard earned money. 

With physical copies it is entirely different. You technically own that copy that you purchased. Whether it is a game as long as the whole game is on the disk of course, music, and even movies. When you buy them physically you own that copy! You can lend it to a friend or a family. Hoping they give it back to you of course. But the great part about it is that you don't have to worry about a digital store removing it and delisting that game, movie, or music you purchased. 

Final thoughts

Can we go back to a fully simplistic life style? I think the answer to that question is honestly no. With some caveats of course; the only way for you to have a fully simplistic life is if you were to live on island or a location that isn't driven by technology. On top of that has some sort of a power grid and plumbing, unless you want to go completely caveman. Still I think the question shouldn't be can we go back to simplicity. If not can we make our lives now more simplistic and balanced?

To that question I would dare to say yes! We can't fully escape technology. But we can pick and choose what we want to use and when we want to use it. If you want to own your media; buy the physical version instead. If you want to be more active outside rather than gaming or doom scrolling. Make time for those things you want to do. Buy a single console or an older console to limit your gaming. Buy a dumb phone for when you're feeling overwhelmed with constant notifications. 

There are things we can do and we should do. To make sure that one we can enjoy the things God gave us which is nature. But also that we can get back to being human. Talking to people enjoying things the way they were meant to be enjoyed. And not having to be connected all the time. Having true privacy when it matters the most to us. I'll leave it here, I think I typed enough at least. So tell me what you think, do you think we can go back to complete simplicity? Or do you agree with me? Comment your thoughts and let's have a conversation and remember we can agree to disagree respectfully of course.