How many of you have experienced something like this? You get home from a long day of class or work; you boot up Netflix, and you realize your favorite show has been taken off the platform. It happened to me enough times that when I saw my favorite movie in that DVD section at Barnes & Noble that I usually ignore; I stopped. I bought it and thus began my journey of collecting physical media. (hold up CD case). You can go ahead and pass that around and maybe judge my music taste. So, what is Physical Media? It’s defined as any portable device or substance used to store data for specific and legitimate sources. This includes things like DVDs, CDs, VHS tapes, and even paper.

Physical media seemed to be on its way out of the door in the case of music and films. With the rise of movie and music streaming platforms (i.e. Netflix and Spotify), the need for CDs and DVDs went down specifically around the late 2000s through early 2010s. Streaming was just much more efficient and cost-effective. Studies have found that as of last year, at least 85% of Americans have at least 1 video streaming subscription, and 60% have at least 1 music subscription.  However, despite this, the sentiment seems to have shifted, people are once again buying physical media. But Why? Well, I think physical media is having a comeback for a few reasons. First, the cost of streaming services has only continued to rise. Second, when you stream something you don’t own it and it can be taken from you. Lastly, despite technological advancements, there seems to be a noticeable difference in quality. With the constant shuffling of movies and shows between platforms, and in some cases just being deleted entirely, a phenomenon known as “streaming anxiety’ has risen, according to the BBC.