11 Comments

The best way to get physical again is to thrift.

Expand full comment

loved this! think about the return of digital a lot, especially with magazines. i subscribed to seventeen all throughout high school, and i have such fond memories of admiring each issue on the floor of my bedroom; it was a monthly ritual for me. now seventeen and other fashion and beauty mags are entirely online and no longer in print, and i think there's something lost there. not only in the quality of content, which by the nature of it being online-only means that they have to churn out content constantly, which then means that you get articles covering something totally ephemeral and meaningless, like a celebrity posting an instagram photo with a new hair color. whereas in physical magazines, if a celebrity changed her hair color, it would be put into context as part of a bigger trend, with tips on how to try it yourself, all packaged beautifully in a curated layout. the ephemeral was given meaning through context in physical magazines and i miss that!

Expand full comment

I absolutely agree with you. Magazines and outlets don't have to cover every little thing that happens on a social media. I miss the time when journalism used to be about critical analysis and cultural commentary. I hope with the way internet is changing drastically, we go back to quality over quantity.

Expand full comment

i'm this close to purchasing a portable dvd player and i've definitely made my return to physical books. what helped me make the switch was buying books from local publishers whose books aren't available in e-book form. i get to support local authors AND spend time away from my screen!

Expand full comment

go get that dvd player, bestie!

Expand full comment

I love this and find it so relatable. I feel like in addition to what you said about being able to own the material and the possibility of it disappearing from streaming platforms, it's also a cheaper alternative, with all of the streaming platforms continually raising prices. I need to embrace the slower paced lifestyle more than I do and transition from the fear of missing out on thing to the joy of missing out on things, so that I take time to really appreciate and enjoy the things I do have in life, and not always looking for something else.

Expand full comment

ooh interesting perspective. i knew slow living was a response to capitalism's labour exploitation. maybe it is also a response to the cost of living crisis. food for thought. thanks for sharing.

Expand full comment

I had no idea that people were using the expression JOMO - never heard it before! Maybe because I'm a millennial born in the 80's 😅. But love it! So good.

Expand full comment

JOMO is real. I won't blame you though, the vocabulary is changing at lightening speed.

Expand full comment

The desire to own something is so incredibly true, despite so much access and ability to “buy buy buy” nothing feels like it’s truly ours unless we can hold it sometimes! Loved this piece, thank you for including me 🙂

Expand full comment

It was a pleasure talking you, Anna!

Expand full comment