Photo Credit: The Xavierite
Vinyls, record players, cassettes, printed books, newspapers. These are all things that have been or are starting to become labeled “retro.” But, what exactly is retro? And why do we want it?
According to Merriam-Webster, the official definition of retro is “relating to, reviving, or being the styles and especially the fashions of the past: fashionably nostalgic or old-fashioned.” In simpler terms, it is something old yet desirable.
So why is it that in the year 2023, so many retro items have become all the rage? And why is it that so many things that many people still commonly use, such as printed books, are starting to fall into the retro category as well?
An easy explanation as to why items such as record players, Walkmans, and newspapers have made such a comeback is due to their simplicity. Why bother going through the pain of figuring out which subscription based music service is the cheapest to use when you can just make a one time purchase of your favorite cassette and listen to it whenever you want?
Similarly, people are opting to grab physical copies of newspapers in order to avoid clicking on an interesting story and having its content blocked by another subscription-based paywall.
While things like the internet and online clouds were created to facilitate our everyday actions, they have now become so complex that they are defeating their original purpose and causing people to go back to their original variants.
For example, I have found that systems such as Google Cloud and iCloud have become so intricate (and expensive) that I have resorted to storing my photos and files on flash drives in order to avoid any confusion or unnecessary spending.
Another aspect that has made the return to retro so appealing is the beauty of these creations. Sure, it is nice to have your favorite artists’ album at the touch of your fingertips, ready to listen at any time on Spotify. However, having that album as a physical record, cassette, or CD makes the experience all the more special, especially when you have to go from vintage store to vintage store to hunt it down.
Fleetwood Mac is my favorite band, and I had been trying to get my hands on an authentic vinyl pressing from the 1970s or 80s of their “Greatest Hits” album for a long time. I could have just ordered a modern pressing off Amazon, but where’s the fun in that? Instead, I searched through every record store and Half-Price Books around until I finally found it, and that made the album all the more special for me.
The unique feel of retro goes past ways of enjoying media. Recently, I have developed a love for late 90s- early 2000s cars. This most likely stems from the deep hatred I had for my first car, a 2013 GMC Terrain. When I first saw the 2013 vehicle, I thought I was going to love the surround-sound Bluetooth system, the back-up camera, touch screen menu, and crash detection sensors. Yet, the more I drove that car, the more I missed the rugged feel of my dad’s 2004 Toyota RAV-4.
Once my 2013 vehicle was totaled, (ironically after seeing Stevie Nicks live- an artist whose career thrived during the 70s) I could not wait to get back inside an old vehicle with a converted aux cord and a CD player. I especially couldn’t wait to never have to hear a loud alarm go off every time I ran over a twig on the street.
Lastly, it appears that nowadays, certain things are starting to fall into the retro category much quicker than we expected. Some of these items may include printed books, wired earbuds/headphones, and even the first iPhones.
While it may seem hard to comprehend how the iPhone 7 I had in high school is now nearly considered a relic, we have to remember that we are now up to the 15th iPhone. With creators and brands constantly competing with themselves to try to create the best whatever in the shortest amount of time, it is not hard to see why things are catalogued into the “retro” category so quickly.
At the end of the day, I believe it’s best for each person to have a balance of modern and retro creations. You wouldn’t want to be using an oven from the 50s, but you might enjoy listening to your favorite music on a 90s record player. In this fast-moving technological world, it’s important for each person to hold on to some physical media and items that remind them to slow down and enjoy the little moments in life.