Isn't digital media part of an increasingly disposable culture?

[x7q3]

If you look at decades past, there were CDs, DVDs, vinyl records, VHS tapes, etc. These are things that were special, you collected them, and displayed them on a shelf. They were, after all, your favorite music, movies, shows, etc. The artwork, manuals, etc, of the boxes were really cool to look at as well. You kept these things forever.

Digital media is the opposite of this. I almost cringe inside whenever I see a digital movie for sale, on a service like Vudu or Google Play.

I was born in 1987. So most of my life, I've used cartridge games, disc games, VHS tapes, DVDs, etc. From my view, a digital purchase is so disposable. I avoid buying digital, because I know I'd be settling for less. It would be like taking the cheap way out.

But isn't digital media part of an increasingly disposable culture? It's the age of dating apps like Tinder, the age of consumer products that break in a few months or years, phones that become obsolete practically the day they are released, etc. In today's culture, almost nothing lasts. Everything is cheaply-made and disposable. Society is becoming too fast-paced and disposable.

What are your thoughts?

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by x7q3

If you look at decades past, there were CDs, DVDs, vinyl records, VHS tapes, etc. These are things that were special, you collected them, and displayed them on a shelf. They were, after all, your favorite music, movies, shows, etc. The artwork, manuals, etc, of the boxes were really cool to look at as well. You kept these things forever.

Digital media is the opposite of this. I almost cringe inside whenever I see a digital movie for sale, on a service like Vudu or Google Play.

I was born in 1987. So most of my life, I've used cartridge games, disc games, VHS tapes, DVDs, etc. From my view, a digital purchase is so disposable. I avoid buying digital, because I know I'd be settling for less. It would be like taking the cheap way out.

But isn't digital media part of an increasingly disposable culture? It's the age of dating apps like Tinder, the age of consumer products that break in a few months or years, phones that become obsolete practically the day they are released, etc. In today's culture, almost nothing lasts. Everything is cheaply-made and disposable. Society is becoming too fast-paced and disposable.

What are your thoughts?

Agreed. Glad I was born in the late 70’s. At least I knew of a different time. . Technics anyone?

Even life itself seems to be disposable with the ‘knife crime’ epidemic we have here at the moment. Kids carrying knifes and our government cutting police numbers.

[CV19]

Originally Posted by x7q3

If you look at decades past, there were CDs, DVDs, vinyl records, VHS tapes, etc. These are things that were special, you collected them, and displayed them on a shelf. They were, after all, your favorite music, movies, shows, etc. The artwork, manuals, etc, of the boxes were really cool to look at as well. You kept these things forever.

Can't disagree with anything you said there. This for me is one of the biggest advantages with physical - the overall packaging, artwork, booklets, they looked great on your shelf, excellent audio / visual quality, and perhaps more importantly is you own it.....absolutely nobody can remove it from you.

I still have all my vinyl and CD's from the early 80's which is when I began to buy compact discs, and I still buy them to this day. And I shall continue to purchase them alongside Blu-ray's and DVD's for as long as they're around.

[CV19]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Agreed. Glad I was born in the late 70’s. At least I knew of a different time. . Technics anyone?

I was born in the late 60's, so yes I do remember Technics. I also still remember the Tandy store we had not far from where I lived as a kid which stocked all sorts of accessories for "music centres" as they used to be called back then. Goodness me, I'm feeling nostalgic now......

[mrveggieman]

I was born in '75 and remember the Atari, table top Pac Man all the way up to the stuff that we got now. I always had tapes, dvds, games etc. If/when gaming systems go all digital that will be the day I cease to buy new gaming consoles and buy new games. As far as buying a digital movie that will never happen.

[SHOCKWAVE6464]

I was born in the mid 90s and I understand the importance of physical media. My dad's VHS collection was pretty big. My parents had a huge CD and Vinyl collection with a killer soundsystem. We got a PlayStation with various games. I'm similar yet different.

Movies I buy on Blu-Ray and 4K no matter what. I refuse to buy Digital/DVD only movies (Can You Ever Forgive Me?). When it comes to video games and music, I only buy certain ones on disc. Since I mainly play on PC, I make sure that all of the PS4 exclusive games I have are the physical copies. If I hear an album on Spotify and it sticks out to me a lot, I end up buying the CD.

Physical media in these formats are history that should be upheld greatly and the best quality someone could possibly get (with minor exceptions).

[octagon]

Originally Posted by x7q3

If you look at decades past, there were CDs, DVDs, vinyl records, VHS tapes, etc. These are things that were special, you collected them, and displayed them on a shelf. They were, after all, your favorite music, movies, shows, etc. The artwork, manuals, etc, of the boxes were really cool to look at as well. You kept these things forever.

These were also things that people bought, used for a while and then threw in a box or gave to goodwill or just threw out.

Originally Posted by x7q3

I was born in 1987. So most of my life, I've used cartridge games, disc games, VHS tapes, DVDs, etc.

And how many of them do you still have?

Originally Posted by x7q3

In today's culture, almost nothing lasts. Everything is cheaply-made and disposable. Society is becoming too fast-paced and disposable.

They don't make 'em like they used to. An oldie but definitely a goodie.

If people replace their phones every few years because their existing phones are falling apart and no longer function that would be a Bad Thing. If people are replacing their phones every few years because the newer phones are cooler and can do more cool things that would be a Good Thing.

Is it true that toasters don't last thirty years anymore. Yeah, probably. Is that a reflection of the pace of society? Probably not.

[thecooldud]

Yeah. It's getting worse. A movie or TV show more than 5 years old is now old hat and passed it and up to be rebooted at any moment too.

[Mythical Victini]

I was a kid in the 90s and I am so attached to physical media. My dad used to record shows and movies on VHS for me so I could watch it whenever I wanted. I still have a VHS recording of Pinocchio.
I think streaming services make it easy to watch a show then move on to the next. I have a friend and once she has seen something, she is never interested in re-watching it even if she really liked it. As a child, I re-watched stuff all the time, or re-played the same treasured video games. I never really could understand how someone can love a show or movie but never see it again. My mother is like that too. She had always thought I was weird for re-watching movies, "you've already seen that one."
yup and that's why i watch it again.. I really liked it. I mean she remembers movies she has liked but how much detail can you remember from a movie ten years ago, isn't it fun to re-watch things? Funny enough, my friend went to see the live action Beauty and the Beast when it came out and claimed it was ten times better than the original. She hadn't seen the original movie since it came out in the 90s, how can she know it's better?

I know not everyone who avoids physical copies do it because they only like watching something once but some people around me do and I think it's one of the main reasons they prefer to just use streaming services because why own something if you only want to watch it once. For me there is some movies that I'll only see once but it's usually because that particular movie didn't have any impact on me.

I know streaming/ renting digital is different from trying to own them digitally but it feels like, due to how easy it is to just stream a movie once and move on to countless options of movies and show, they don't try to get attached to any particular one because they'd prefer to always be watching something new to them and that is alot easier in these years than it was in the 90s.

[Midnight Rambler]

Originally Posted by x7q3

In today's culture, almost nothing lasts. Everything is cheaply-made and disposable. Society is becoming too fast-paced and disposable.

What are your thoughts?

"Planned obsolescence" is a real thing, and while it has been around for a long time, it is being used by manufacturers (of all sorts of products) like never before.

A lot of people think nothing of products being so short-lived and disposable now days. But those same people think IKEA makes good furniture, for example.

[unc.wannabe]

Originally Posted by x7q3

If you look at decades past, there were CDs, DVDs, vinyl records, VHS tapes, etc. These are things that were special, you collected them, and displayed them on a shelf. They were, after all, your favorite music, movies, shows, etc. The artwork, manuals, etc, of the boxes were really cool to look at as well. You kept these things forever.

Digital media is the opposite of this. I almost cringe inside whenever I see a digital movie for sale, on a service like Vudu or Google Play.

I was born in 1987. So most of my life, I've used cartridge games, disc games, VHS tapes, DVDs, etc. From my view, a digital purchase is so disposable. I avoid buying digital, because I know I'd be settling for less. It would be like taking the cheap way out.

But isn't digital media part of an increasingly disposable culture? It's the age of dating apps like Tinder, the age of consumer products that break in a few months or years, phones that become obsolete practically the day they are released, etc. In today's culture, almost nothing lasts. Everything is cheaply-made and disposable. Society is becoming too fast-paced and disposable.

What are your thoughts?

1984 here. Love love LOVE physical media, although digital is becoming more convenient. If a title comes out that I love and adore, I will purchase the physical copy and redeem the digital. If it's a movie that's more along the lines of "meh," I'll snag a cheap digital code.

[Darev]

I've been a huge physical media consumer since the 80's. I bought the Star Wars definitive laserdisc box set 3 years before I had a Laserdisc player (not knowing about laser rot).
I've been slow to adopt digital media. I have a small library of actual books. Paperbacks and Hardcovers. I have been building a Kindle library of cheap books for a few years.
Now, within the last two weeks, I've started to look at purchasing 4K movies...SOME 4K movies, through VUDU instead of physical copies mainly due to pricing.
4K Venom was on sale recently for $10 on VUDU. $30 on disc.
Spider-Man into the Spider-Verse available early in 4K on VUDU for $20. $28 on amazon on disc right now and doesn't ship until next week.
Fantastic Beasts 2 also $20 in 4K on VUDU....also $30 on amazon on disc.

Any single movie, by itself, not too big of a deal.
All three of those together, the price difference adds up and I have to start asking myself is the physical media/packaging worth the extra almost $40 for just 3 movies, especially when the most I'll ever really do is watch the movie?

I'm starting to think that no, it isn't worth it.

[PhysicalMediaNut]

I'm not sure if you can put streaming in with the concept of a disposable culture since there is no actual form of ownership. When I think of a disposable culture I think of garbage cans overflowing on to the street and massive landfills. One of the positive things about streaming is that it does not contribute to this. I think the perceived value or lack thereof is similar in some ways though.

However, I have always loved to collect films and video games and I am sad to see the physical media market in decline. I have felt a strong urge in the last couple of years to purchase the physical media that I love and hold on to it like a dragon sitting on top of a mountain of treasure. I don't hesitate when something that I love is released in physical form because I feel like we are at the end of an era. There is no doubt that at some point years from now someone will see my stash and look at it with wonder. I will then tell that (most likely little) person to KEEP YOUR HANDS TO YOURSELF! Or, something like that.

[harpolini]

Physical is great, but digital is also great and much better quality than people give it credit for (especially with better compression every year.)

I used to have to lug around a hefty CD binder to my car. Not anymore! It's all on my phone. Don't miss that physical aspect at all.

With digital movies, it's great loading movies and tv shows on a computer or tablet, when your on a long flight or away from your home. Is it a less experience, maybe a little. I've even looked into getting a VR set for a plane trip for a truly immersive experience.

Disposable culture? I would disagree. It just adaptable based on how you want to consume it. Everyone says rights can be pulled whenever but a house fire or disaster could also destroy your entire collection and your left with nothing.

[wonderer99]

Originally Posted by x7q3

If you look at decades past, there were CDs, DVDs, vinyl records, VHS tapes, etc. These are things that were special, you collected them, and displayed them on a shelf. They were, after all, your favorite music, movies, shows, etc. The artwork, manuals, etc, of the boxes were really cool to look at as well. You kept these things forever.

Digital media is the opposite of this. I almost cringe inside whenever I see a digital movie for sale, on a service like Vudu or Google Play.

I was born in 1987. So most of my life, I've used cartridge games, disc games, VHS tapes, DVDs, etc. From my view, a digital purchase is so disposable. I avoid buying digital, because I know I'd be settling for less. It would be like taking the cheap way out.

But isn't digital media part of an increasingly disposable culture? It's the age of dating apps like Tinder, the age of consumer products that break in a few months or years, phones that become obsolete practically the day they are released, etc. In today's culture, almost nothing lasts. Everything is cheaply-made and disposable. Society is becoming too fast-paced and disposable.

What are your thoughts?

My thoughts are exactly the same as yours. Well said. But the younger generation (feels weird to say that as I am only 37!) will say we are just harping on about the "good ol days" like every generation before us has.

But your right. Very little in life now seems to have any value.

[Bugg]

I only buy physcial. That said I have worked at video and music stores and can tell you that for many people digital is safer and longer lasting because they are uncouth savages that scruff, scratch, scrape, melt, bend, break and brutalize anything their oafish Mongo hands get in contact with. I can't tell you how many people would bring in cds, games, tapes and so on to sell and the stuff looks like it was dragged across a mile of dirt road, dropped into a bowl of melted chocolate ice cream, and then spent a week in the winshield of a car parked in the sunlight of July. Then look at you like you are trying to pull a fast one on them, when you state that their wrecked MC Hammer CD is worthless.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by Bugg

...anything their oafish Mongo hands get in contact with.

And people say poetry is dead.

[sa5150]

1969 here , great stuff posted here.

[Mystic]

Not a fan of digital media, and never will be. It might classify me as an old fart but I much prefer to have a physical copy of something whether that be an 8 track tape, cassette, vinyl record, VHS tape, DVD, or blu ray disc.

[Akibiyori]

It’s not like everyone in the world had massive collections of books and music and movies back in the 1990s. Most people, the vast majority, just rented movies and only had a small selection of favorites on VHS, a small collection of music, and at best a few mass market paperbacks of super duper ultra popular writers like Stephen King.

As for immediately out of date technology, I was using the same phone for the past five years and never had any problems with apps I needed going out of date. It continued working perfectly, there was no need to change it. I would still be using it if my Dad hadn’t bought a new phone and insisted on giving me his older one. I’m doing the exact same things with the new one. One of my primary TVs is ten years old and still going fine. These are problems people make for themselves...and they’re not new either, people joked about planned obsolescence 70 years ago!