Growing interest in analogue media technologies

Fra “Analogue Idyll” bogen, A.R.E. Taylors introduktion:

Amid this digital backlash there has been growing interest in – and celebration of – analogue media technologies and offline or ‘IRL’ (‘in real life’) experiences. Sales of vinyl records are the highest they have been in 30 years, with vinyl reportedly outselling streaming subscriptions (Titcomb, 2022) and independent record shops experiencing a major resurgence (Evitts and Trenholm, 2024) (Figure 1.1). Printed books are outselling eBooks, and Gen Z are apparently turning to libraries to escape the ‘oversaturation and noise’ of the digital world (Mac Donnell, 2024; see also Sweney, 2020). The jigsaw puzzle and boardgame industries are thriving (Sweney, 2021; Thorén, 2021; Kviat, 2024). Audio cassette production has been rejuvenated, and new cassette players are being brought to market (Ledsom, 2020; Savage, 2021). Polaroid has re-launched its line of instant film cameras, while Kodak is releasing its first new super 8 film camera in decades. Celluloid filmmaking is experiencing a resurgence, with an increasing number of films being shot on 35mm and 70 mm (IMAX) […] (the timespace of the cinema itself is being reframed by some theatre owners as a temporary ‘digital detox’ where audiences switch off their mobile phones and disconnect from the distractions of the digital world). Typewriter repair shops are opening. Postcards are making a comeback (Skopeliti, 2024). Artists are engaging with analogue printing and production methods, creating handcrafted zines, posters, and other paper-based ephemera (Crocket, 2024; Seedlings Studio, 2024). The renewed popularity of handmade goods and craft production has been linked to a broader cultural desire for ‘the material, the tactile, the analogue’ in a digital age (Luckman, 2013: 251). Sales of Moleskine notebooks are soaring, with ‘good old fashioned’ pen and paper increasingly perceived as a way to avoid smartphones and remain focused and creative (Yuan, 2021; Allen, 2024). Paper-based offices are making a comeback as workflow managers attribute productivity declines to employees’ digital overload from continuous emails and notifications (Newport, 2021: 249; Taylor et al, 2026). According to one workplace productivity report, 96 per cent of officer workers in the United States prefer to work with hard copies over digital versions (Paper and Packaging, 2019). Paper is also being positioned as a solution to digital problems such as cyberattacks and data loss.