The internet (as we know it) turned 30 last week. 30! Can you believe it? I was alive for one whole year before the world wide web began its journey to omnipresence. And oh, how it has changed everything. It’s hard to imagine a time before Apple and Instagram and Facebook and Google and Yelp and Pinterest and Twitter and…well, this could take all day.
We are living in a remarkable era–things are changing and improving at the speed of light. Blink and there’s a newer, better, version of an old device (is it just me, or does it feel like there’s a new iPhone released every ten minutes?). But what of the old?
I recently came across this box of funny, outdated accessories at my brother’s university bookstore:
Cassette tapes, phone cords, modem lines: all 50 cents, final sale. He’s only nineteen, so I doubt he or any of his classmates have ever listened to a cassette tape or wrestled with dial up internet. (Maybe this box of 50 cent items would be useful for an archaeology project!) How quickly once innovative, coveted technology finds its way to the sale (or dust) bin. My stepdad tells me he paid iPod prices for his bright yellow walkman twenty years ago. Today, its value lies in its ability to transport him back in time.
Nostalgia aside (and there’s sure to be a lot of nostalgia here–can any of you remember recording songs off of the radio to make mixed tapes?), much of the old stuff just doesn’t work as well as the newer stuff.
Tangible media is on the inevitable march to the intangible. Look at music. It’s already made the journey from record to 8-track to cassette tape to CD…and now it simply sits on a computer (or on the Spotify server), ready to play at the click of a button.
There are so many things I’m glad to chuck in the garbage: cluttery DVD and CD cases, useless cords, backup hard drives, giant boom-boxes, bulky, overheating desktop computers. (Hugs and kisses to the inventor of The Cloud!)
But then there are those few things that I can’t quite let go of. And I think…maybe I shouldn’t? As the tangibles become increasingly rare, it feels important to pick and choose which mediums we incorporate into daily life. Because, while some tangibles (like winding unspooled film on a vhs tape) are nothing more than an unnecessary headache, others have the ability to make our lives richer and somehow more….real.
Here are the tangibles I’m holding onto as we speed up, up and away towards the intangible future:
Records
During a summer stay at the Ace Hotel in Portland, my husband and I found ourselves cranking up the in-room turntable every chance we got: Prince, Bon Iver, The Shins. We danced on the bed, we sang loudly, we very possibly annoyed our neighbors. At the time, I thought: we have iPhones and music docks, so why is a record so much more fun than a playlist? We bought a turntable of our very own in order to find out.
Now, on weekends, Grant and I visit record stores, laugh at strange cover art, reminisce over old Smashing Pumpkins songs, and snap up everything from Louis Armstrong to Muse to Mozart. Whenever the mood strikes, we crank up our records and really listen.
The result of this old school purchase? We dance more, we talk about music more, we marvel more. There’s something about placing a needle in a groove and flipping a record over that simply can’t be replicated with a visit to the iTunes store.
Printed Photographs
A couple of my Artifact Uprising Photo Books. Recognize the NYC pics?
While I love the look of film photography, I don’t miss the boxes of negatives, the one hour processing or the limitation of 24-36 shots. Digital photography has opened up a world of possibility to amateurs and professionals alike. No dark room or photo paper or specialized equipment is needed. Just a camera, a computer, a bit of know-how and a good eye, and you can make photographic magic.
There’s just one problem…
We still have to find ways to get the photos off of our computers and into our lives.
After confronting my somewhat overzealous picture-taking habit last summer, I decided to take stock of why I take photographs in the first place. The answer? To appreciate, to remember, to share. So I started making photo books for myself and for my family. I love the company Artifact Uprising, whose tagline is: “Inspired by the disappearing beauty of the tangible.” They make beautiful photo books, and they even specialize in Instagram paperbacks so you can do something with all of those gorgeous, artsy shots besides just posting them to Facebook.
I feel so happy every time I open one of my photo books–they transport me to wonderful times spent with the people I love.
Handwritten…Anything
Click, clack, clack. Isn’t that what writing sounds like these days? Going, going, gone are the personal notes, the familiar scrawl of a friend’s handwriting. Even with Christmas cards, the trend seems to be towards photos emblazoned with pre-printed, generic text. “Merry Christmas from the Jones Family!” I always turn it over to see if the person has added a handwritten scribble; it’s a pleasant surprise when they have.
Using a computer is convenient and quick, and I’m certainly glad we don’t have to rely on a quill and ink to write manuscripts these days. But there’s something intimate about putting pen to paper. For me, it feels like a filter is removed and I can say things with ‘Le Tiny Editor’ turned off. I make an effort to write by hand (in imperfect cursive) regularly. I write in my journal, I often handwrite blog post ideas and drafts, and I make a huge effort to send out handwritten cards and notes to my friends and family. The rarer those little notes become, the more precious and worth the effort they are to send out.
Books
My books, a little window into my soul…
The market will dictate the future of the book. And right now, the market is practically shouting: cheap, convenient, environmentally friendly ebooks! But my gut says the traditional book will survive, albeit in a more expensive, covetable form. Like records, we’ll buy special, limited edition copies of popular books. And when that happens, I’ll gladly pay a premium for my favorite tomes.
While ebooks are changing the game and opening up a whole new world of publishing opportunities, I still love the look, the feel, the smell of books. Sure, they take up space. Sure, I have four bookshelves in my apartment and way too many boxes full of stored books. But books say something about a person that few other mediums can. When I enter a person’s house and take a look at her bookshelf, I can immediately get a sense of how she thinks, what she likes, what we might have in common. Scrolling through someone’s e-reader just doesn’t have the same air of romance.
I’m sure I’ll eventually cave and buy an e-reader for travel and convenience, but you won’t find me firing one up before bed. That time will be reserved for my limited edition, $100 paper copy of J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter and the Geriatrics.” ;)
Are there any “old school” tangibles you’re holding onto? What advancements are you glad to see, and which ones make you a tad nostalgic for the past?
Related Posts:
Pictures or It Didn’t Happen: Thoughts From a Compulsive Photographer
Selective Truth and Social Media: TMI or Not Enough?
No Domo Arigato, Mr. Roboto: Fighting the Good Fight Against Information Overload
Tagged: Artifact Uprising, Cassette Tapes, Handwritten Notes, Internet, Media, Music, Nostalgia, Tangible Media, Technology, Vinyl
Wow, my son’s 31, how old does that make me? We had a biz before internet, before computers and home printers. I don’t know how we accomplished anything at all!
Probably the same age as my fabulous, beautiful mother? ;) Business productivity must have increased 100 fold over the last thirty years. Corded printers, floppy disks, dial up! To think!
I think you about covered it. I keep some letters, but not all–only the ones that have real meaning. I have journals–LOVE journals–but prefer working on my computer. I never really got into records, but I do occasionally like to pop in an old CD instead of relying on Pandora. I miss film, even waiting to develop the rolls, but I adore Instagram. I’m torn.
Waiting to develop film..I forgot about that sort of unknowing anticipation: will any of them come out, is there a masterpiece on this roll? There isn’t really that same sense of wondering and waiting with photography anymore, maybe that’s why Instagram is so popular–it allows us to add a bit of that wonder and anticipation back into the process.
Did you write this post just for me? I picked up three new actual BOOKS yesterday. I literally JUST unpacked a record player and it’s playing Steely Dan as I type this. I hand-write thank you notes and Christmas cards. Sometimes, technology doesn’t make life better.
Ha! Maybe I did ;) A woman after my own heart.
I literally was playing the first album when I read your post. Love that.
I still go to the library almost weekly and read books. I wish I still had my record player and records and hung on to the boombox though (no longer have cassettes though). I love digital, but miss the printed photo or even polaroid. Ahhh memories – thanks! Happy Thursday:)
Oh, I love polaroids! I was so sad when they discontinued the film. Now they have these little printers that you can hook up to your phone to create your own little polaroids. I’m thinking about getting one.
I’ll lump research into this lost realm of adventures, too. Researching no longer necessarily means a trip to the library, wandering down aisles, towering book piles, rustling pages, and furious scribbles. The sights, smells and feelings of some grade school projects live with me now more vividly than my 10-year-old self’s mastery of Monarch butterfly knowledge… which I can just Google, now ;)
That thrill of the discovery, the adventure of hunting for knowledge and feeling like an explorer… there is just no comparison when it’s key clicks and finger swipes. Glace at someone on a new media device today and your guess is as good as mine as to whether they’re reading a classic, listening to world music, browsing BBC photo archives or sucked into a 9gag vortex.
Simplifying the mediums into slick & efficient technologies, we’ve gained much in access, and lost much of the associated full-sensory *experiences* of each form. Yes they are bulky, more cumbersome, expensive in time — but those were also what made them memorable. We were engaged.
BIG nod to love of the tangible. You’re welcome to borrow from my bookshelf anytime. =)
~ H
ps: ““Inspired by the disappearing beauty of the tangible.”” – so lovely.
Also, I highly recommend Steveston Bookstore the next time you can make time to head down to Richmond. I happily lost myself in there for hours one day, and came out with a mini-tower of gems: I was the kid, and it was my candy store.
just watched the old school VHS of How the Grinch Stole Christmas, and I will never throw our tape player out now—it literally had a crackling “vinyl” like quality to it that i knew could not be replicated by a DVD if i were to go out and buy that now…
We also watched that on VHS, as well as Charlie Brown Christmas. Memories! My parents VCR finally bit the dust, so no more old school, crackliness for us. But you’re right, there is a different quality to it.
I just bought an old Rollieflex film camera. I plan on shooting a roll a month and developing it – I want to anticipate those images and to feel the click of a real mechanical shutter.
Very cool!
Read this one with a sigh – also loved Jake Seliger’s blog on a similar vein about black note books – so many comments – I think by nature artists and writers etc like to live with the tangible in some way http://jseliger.wordpress.com/2013/01/04/why-little-black-books-instead-of-phones-and-computers/
So I defiantly set out the door this morning with my Penguin in hand so I can be the only person on the train reading actual print. Could just be my trainline..?
I’m so glad that Melbourne Central has a little mini library space where you can grab a free book and bring in ones to pass on.
Cool link, thanks for sharing. The only one on the train reading actual print? My heart just dropped a bit. I think e-readers are probably pretty handy for commuting though–you can switch between various books and no one can see what you’re reading. I’m sure when 50 Shades came out, e-reader sales jumped ;)
True point. Where did I read the other day a young man saying that whenever he saw a woman reading 50Shades on the train he would open up a soft porn site in protest. Usually he said the woman would look across without so much as raising an eyebrow…
Last month, I got a letter in the mail from Google, telling me about their AdSense program. Although it was just an ad, I felt really happy receiving that snail mail; so happy, in fact, that I tweeted about it and this memory I had of my elementary school best friends and how we used to write to each other and send it through post (as if we didn’t see each other in school).
A friend of mine then commented saying, “Why don’t we start sending letters to each other? Give me your address!” And we started exchanging addresses. I got a postcard from her 2 weeks after. It was the best feeling ever. :D
BRING BACK HANDWRITTEN LETTERS!
That’s so great. It’s too easy (and common) to shoot off an email or fb message these days, which makes it extra wonderful when someone takes the time to handwrite and actually mail something. I love Postcards. Love.
This Christmas, I decided to boycott the whole gift giving craze and didn’t buy a thing for anyone.
People go on and on about how Christmas isn’t really about giving gifts and rather about spending time with people you love and that the price of a gift doesn’t matter blablabla. However, we all feel under pressure to still buy or make stuff for everyone.
I didn’t. I simply didn’t buy a single gift and instead sat down to write long, personal letters to the people I care most about. The ones who received a letter loved it more than anything I ever gave them as an actual present and I am continuing with the letters for birthdays as well.
In hectic times such as ours, what gifts are more precious than time, heart-felt emotions and shared memories?
I’m sure everyone who received those long letters will cherish them far longer than a scented candle or an iPod :) It does seem, as things move faster and faster, that we aren’t always taking the time to say the things we mean to say to the people we care about. I love the idea of birthday letters.
I have an e-reader which I mostly use for travelling and when I’m unexpectedly waiting for the children at some activity or other. But it will NEVER replace a real book for me. We have shelves upon shelves of books which we love. No more records though, or videos or cassettes (nothing to play them on). And I love photographs and photobooks and we have thousands of them (photos that is :-)). I can only imagine how it’s going to go in the future though, My 12-year old son is an excellent reader, but it’s only since he got his iPad a couple of months ago that he’s actually started reading BOOKS, albeit e-books. I’ve decided that reading 6 books in 2 months is an excellent thing, no matter how he does it. I have to start believing that e-books are REAL books though and get over my e-book prejudice!
Yep, eventually I think nostalgia will lose and practicality will win–future generations won’t have the same attachment to paper books and records and these funny, “old fashioned” things. They will be raised on screens. I do think there will always be a curiosity and novelty attached to some of these items that will draw people to them for generations to come. It just won’t be as mainstream to own them. But, you’re so right–reading is reading. And as long as people continue to read, the world is in good shape.
I write letters to my grandparents (they don’t have internet connection in their bungalow) and have about 13 years-worth of A4 day-to-a-page personal diaries I love to scritch away in. You have to put THOUGHT into writing a letter or diary entry – because you can’t hit ‘delete’ you need to get it right first time – which is something I kinda like.
Books are something I’ll always collect, I think they are a soothing, stimulating presence in a house and I want to have whole walls filled with them when I settle down in one place.
How cool that you still exchange letters with your grandparents, Claire. My grandmother writes me these great letters on small, yellow lined paper–they are some of my most cherished possessions. I have to admit, my journaling is a bit less thoughtful than yours–I write in more of a stream of conscious mode. When I type, I’m much more conscious of my editor brain. Writing by hand lets me turn it off. I would also love to have a house lined in books one day, swoon.
This kind of confirms that I am a 95-year-old, 25-year-old. While I’m pretty thankful for a TV that records my shows and a computer that doesn’t weight a ton, I like the old stuff mostly. My husband tried to give me a Kindle and I clutched my books like a rabid Mama Bear!
Ha! I can so relate :)
I’m only 20 so there’s very little tangible media that I’ve actually used and loved.
I do love the idea of Artifact Uprising. I wish they operated in Pakistan. I also wish the new Instagram privacy policy wasn’t so silly. I deactivated my account because of their ability to use your pictures without knowledge or consent. It really creeped me out. What’s your take on the policy?
I feel about that sort of the way I feel about Facebook: there is no real privacy, and once it’s out there, it’s out there. Want to know what I do? I often use Instagram as a photo processor only, not a sharing tool: I turn my phone on airplane mode, process my photos (which are then saved to my phone’s photo roll) and then turn my internet back on and, voila!, they aren’t uploaded to Instagram but I have a copy, which I can share or use as I wish.
This is genius!
Whoa, the internet is 5 years older than me. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to give up scrapbooking. I have been told by numerous friends to do so because of the new memory books you can create/print online. “They’re so easy and so much cheaper!” But I can’t do it. I love my scrapbooks and the tactile experience of creating them.
I think it’s so cool that you make scrapbooks. I did that for a while, and I really enjoyed it but the convenience of photo books won out–I just have way, way too many photos! Keep it up–those are heirlooms you’re creating!
I know I’m clinging desperately to books with pages and notes with envelopes!
This is my pledge of love and devotion to the preservation of real, printed materials.
Sing it, sister ;)
Ha! I totally made radio mixed tapes from Casey Kasem’s Top 40 countdown :) It was laborious but worth it. You actually touched on what I tuck close. I have a record player and many records that I’ve collected (with a father that repairs old phonographs it’s in my blood ;) I’ve been making calendars for family members with photos from the previous year-there’s nothing better than seeing what images flow throughout the year. My daughter turns 5 this year so I’m planning on doing a photo book for her birthday as she loves looking at pictures from her baby and toddler years (thanks for the link to artifact uprising!) She and I also like to decorate and send cards to family and friends; ever since she learned to write her name that’s been a fave. I have a similar book presence in my home and my living room bookshelf is arranged by color of the book…yes, a rainbow. It makes it part of the decor rather than something to simply look beyond. I hope you are well, Rian!
Ah, your life sounds so rich and full of lovely things, Kristy. I’m sure people just love receiving those decorated cards. It made me so happy when my (then tiny) cousins colored pictures for me. I even have one they drew about my move to Canada. Talk about a keepsake! And my books are also arranged by color. Great minds…;) Good luck with your photo book making!
I feel head over hills in love with e-readers, and I have more of them, different sizes and brands, than I care to admit. I will not even get into my obsession with apple, and I am not referring to the fruit. However, somewhere along the line the magic began to wear off, and my hands began to long for paper, printed words, and hardcover backs. Despite all the money I have spent submerging myself in technology, I am now purchasing bound books once again. Something’s you can never get away from….
Multiple e-readers?! Wow, now I really feel behind the curve ;) Glad to hear books still have a place in your heart. I hope we can all find that balance.
Do not feel like you are behind the curve because of my unhealthy obsession with e-readers. You like what you like and you stay true to those things, and honestly, how can anything electronic compare to the joy of holding a good book in your hand. I admire you for going against the grain!
I think I feel about CD’s as you feel about records, but having never played many records, I can’t be sure. I love the physical CD’s. The artwork on the covers, the act of perusing a deep stack of slender plastic (or paper) spines and picking out just the right one, and putting it in the stereo, cranking it up. I tend to listen to the entire album, I don’t skip around much. I like artists who place their songs thoughtfully into the album to create a lyrical piece of audio art. You just can’t get the same immersion with downloads.
Total immersion and listening to the songs in the order the artist intended…that’s definitely one of the things I love about records! Sounds like we’re on the same page :) And looking for new records and books in a physical store…my heart will break the day that option disappears. Browsing online really just isn’t the same…
I had a friend in college who took the time to create an actual mix tape just for me. I don’t know exactly how he did it, but it was awesome and I listened to it in my car (the only place where I still had a tape player) all the time. He even recorded “Side A… ding!” like an old record. On another note: I have that same little note pad. I love that little company. :)
Side A…ding! How cute :) I have to admit, I’m a tad obsessed with Rifle Paper Co. I may or may not have just about every notepad and card they’ve ever created ;)
While my Kindle has mostly replaced my physical books, I refuse to allow email/texts/IMs to replace handwritten notes. I am a big proponent of sending thank you, birthday, and holiday cards and I don’t see that changing anytime soon. I love receiving mail that isn’t junk and to be able to send that similar joy to someone else is priceless in my mind. No electronic greeting can do that.
The package you sent me when I won your giveaway was so thoughtful and detailed, Jessica–the wax stamp, the peacock feather, the beautiful note. It really made my day!
I live a hybrid life. I have a long commute everyday, and my tablet and its digital contents are far easier to carry than a stack of books and notebooks. However, I find handwriting notes in my journal makes those thoughts more meaningful, and opens my mind to unseen avenues. When I have room for a bookshelf, I want to buy the books I’ve enjoyed on my e-reader because I think it shows a part of who I am. This is also why I keep my collection of DVD’s. The stories we love tell a story about ourselves.
“The stories we love tell a story about ourselves.” I love that sentiment. That’s sort of what I do with records…I buy my favorites so that I can enjoy them in a more tangible way. I can see myself, one day–in the future, buying ebooks of things I haven’t read yet and then purchasing a hard copy if I love it. Good idea!
Can you say, “OCD”? My tendency has always been to hold onto the past. Since the stroke, that need has decreased and with it my stuff. However, there are still some things that should be kept. I am a book lover and still enjoy holding a book and turning pages; however, I love my kindle as well. It is nice to have so much choice when I am out and about. I also don’t miss VHS tapes, but I don’t like having to rebuy them on DVD in order to see them. My big hope is that computers will continue to play DVDs for quite some time as I own about 800 of them. I am keeping a player for that time, though.
Great post,
Scott
800 dvds! Wow, that’s impressive. Wish I could pop by for a movie marathon :) You must have an amazing selection, Scott. But hold on to your DVD player. My new iMac doesn’t have a dvd drive and I’m guessing that’s the way the wind is blowing…
Figured that. Thanks.
goodness! Thanks so much for your kind words and sharing our company – means the world! Looking forward to continued following of your words here on this blog. xo
Thanks so much for stopping by! I’m happy to spread the word & share what I love. Your books make my life richer and more beautiful, so thank you :)
I can tell you an advancement that I dislike – and strangely it’s self-checkout tills in shops and supermarkets! They are problematic, you don’t get to have those odd interesting conversations with the friendly types and you can’t ask for change for the bus. I don’t find them quicker at all, and more often than not I get silly change with dozens of small coins spilling out into the tray. It’s the same thing with cinemas, they shut down the ticket box office in our cinema – there’s no fun in that anymore! So I guess I’m nostalgic for service by people, not machines.
On the plus side I am not nostalgic for dial-up internet – I’m twenty and yes I used it when I was younger – I will never forget the screechy sound it made when it was connecting or the inconvenience at getting kicked off the internet so someone could make a phonecall! But I guess it was great at the time!
Nice post – definitely makes you think!
Greetings and Salutations Rian,
I remember the first time I got the Internet at home on my computer; it was the most exciting moment of my young life! Since then, I never looked back; became a computer-nerd, which now is defined as COOL! Soon what we thought was modern in our teens will be vintage soon — yikes, like music CD’s, what’s that an old itunes? Great post and pictures. End quote: “Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be.” — anonymous graffito
Cheers ~ (≧◡≦)
I miss hand written notes and letters and grieve the loss of Christmas cards in the mail. Nostalgia is a longing for the familiar in a world that never stops changing. That we love something makes it even more dear!