Colin Ellis prefers to carry his Razr cell phone when he goes for a walk instead of his smartphone. It allows you to disconnect but you can still be contacted in case of emergency.JENNA MARIE WAKANI / The Globe and Mail
Recently, when my partner and I were buying shelves, it was hard not to notice that all the fashion furniture stores filled their shelves in the same way: with small succulents, art books, and architecture magazines, and, inevitably a record player. .
It should come as no surprise. As a world saturated with screens and digital technology has become the norm, there has been a growing fetishization of an ostensibly more authentic past, marked by now clichéd reclaimed wood troops, Edison lights, and palette jars. .
But now that we’re moving into the 2020s, it’s not so much that people are completely rejecting technology but resorting to older forms. From the return of cell phones and cassette tapes to a renewed appreciation for books and records, there is a growing shift toward the technology of yesteryear.
There were, for example, 1.1 million vinyl record sales in Canada last year, up more than 21% from 2020, according to sales tracker MRC Data. Worldwide cassette sales increased exponentially during the pandemic. Typewriters are taking a moment, appearing on Instagram as part of an emerging old-school aesthetic.
Part of what is driving the change, of course, is that the smartphone and related technology can be relentless, constantly ringing and distracting us with the siren of what’s happening on Instagram or Twitter.
Colin Ellis is a television producer and journalist and, despite his hard work and being connected to the present day, about four years ago, he bought a folding phone.
“I feel like we’re as connected to our devices as we are to social media and apps,” says Mr. Ellis. “I just wanted to break with that and not be so attached to it.”
At least once a week, Mr. Ellis will go out for a walk only with his cell phone so that he can still be contacted in case of an emergency, but otherwise he is not compromised.
“As I walk, you see these people on the street, and they’re not really looking at the world,” says Mr. Ellis. “I think you’re missing things if you just want to look at your screens.”
Using ancient technology allows us to omit some of the ways in which modern devices can encourage us to distract ourselves or move away from the present.
It was this tendency to distract and overload information that led artist Joe Hollier and product designer Kaiwei Tang to design the Light Phone.
Looking at the technology landscape in 2010, Mr. Tang decided that the last thing they needed was another ad-driven app.
Thus, instead, he and Mr. Hollier set out to design a phone that avoided the bright screen and noisy applications of a modern smartphone.
The Light Phone is a basic mobile phone with a black and white screen and some utilities such as a calculator, directions, a simple music player and a podcast tool.
Introduce the Light Phone, a 4G mobile phone that has a black and white electronic ink screen and some utilities such as a calculator, directions, a simple music player, and a podcast tool.
“When we were doing research, you could only sit in a cafe, a restaurant or an airport, and everyone was unaware of what was going on around them,” says Mr. Tang. “You spend a lot of time touching and sliding a screen.”
Light Phone, on the other hand, allows you to make calls, send text messages, listen to music, but not much else. While it’s obviously a niche product compared to the billions of smartphones, Mr. Tang claims the phone has “tens of thousands of users” and saw 150 percent growth last year, all despite Light Phone having a pokey. monochrome screen that is far from the latest iPhone.
It’s as if there’s a desire for technology that evokes a simpler, less persistent connected time.
The nostalgia of the age of analog technology does not entirely mean the desire to let go of today’s digital world.
Motorola was once famous for its original folding phone, the Razr, which about 15 years ago was the pinnacle of fashion. Today, you can buy a Razr, but it’s a fully functional modern smartphone with a folding screen.
Turntables have bluetooth or USB connections. Even bicycles can now come with built-in screens or apps.
David Sax is the author of two books on the shift to ancient technology. The revenge of the analog: real things and why they matter and the near future The future is analog: how to create a more humane world. He argues that what is happening is not just an affectation but a new way of finding balance.
“They’ve sold us this false narrative of progress: that the new is an improvement over the old,” says Mr. Sax. “But digital technology is changing the value of analog technology.”
“Its previous drawbacks or inefficiencies are now advantageous.”
Mr. Sax points out studies that show that using paper and pencil helps with memory retention, or that taking notes during an interview can be much more helpful than scanning hours of a transcript.
So it is not that what is old is new again; rather, it is that what is old now acts as a defense against the inconveniences of the present. Printed books allow for a more focused reading. Phones with more limited functionality help keep you up to date.
And when it comes to trendy turntables, they can help you interact with music in a renewed way.
“I bought a turntable in the fall of 2020,” says Mr. Ellis. “I became obsessed; I think I’ve experienced music in a way that is much better when I make a point of listening. “