Teens wanting analog stuff all of a sudden?

[pasteldome]

My teens (who both have February Birthdays) are currently asking for things like a CD player, DVDs, CDs, wired head phones, DS wants a record player and DD wants a vintage compact digital or film camera and a planner / notebook that costs about £60 and a pricey fountain pen.

I get that analog is a trend and I'm enjoying sharing my 90's music with them and if we have old tech or CD's then they can use them for sure but some of what they want is quite expensive Vinyl for example.

I think that the impulse is genuine to want to get away from screens and I'm delighted that my daughter seems more interested in books although she isn't yet reading a lot she got Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar and Jane Eyre for Christmas which are still on her bedside so I think she will get into them eventually.

We don't have a cd player anymore or a record player and so before I invest in any more tech / stuff is this just a trend do you think?

I think they realise that subscriptions are a con and owning stuff is better. It's quite 'cool' to have a collection, or learn photography, go back to analog hobbies. It's also a way for fans to support their favourite artists especially with jpop and kpop bands

They do film photography walks around here, have a look on Groupon or similar. But even a cheap disposable is still cheap, it's getting the film developed that's spenny. Or film for the film camera etc

It's a shame most laptops don't have a disc drive these days otherwise you could show them how to burn a mix cd!

You could try your local library and second hand shops.. I got my teen a typewriter recently!

Its just a trend

we bought our 16 year old a cd player for Christmas, she buys cd‘s and at her birthday a friend turned up with a digital camera . But they have also just done d of e where they couldn’t take phones so parents gave them old cameras .

I can't bring myself to ditch all my CDs. Including a good number of Dire Straits (replacements for old vinyl!)

My DD got a CD player for christmas. Its the 30 year trend. IE when i was a teen the sixties made a big come back. In the grand tradition of nostalgia and vintage, everything costs way more than it did first time round. New CD's are expensive and the cost of new vinal is nuts! Sadly my DD isnt into 90s music yet so wants new stuff on old methods.

Not only is it a trend that will be dead in 3 years, its also a marker of privilege

I’m reliably informed that there are several reasons for this trend.

The items are more reliable and possibly fixable.
Wired in headphones are a preference.
No faffing with batteries, chargers, etc.
Music streaming services tend not to permit ownership of music so you only own the right to listen to their music and this right can be taken away. A CD is solid and can be listened to at any time.
There can be problems with audio quality. (Eg a digital record can never be the same as an authentic vinyl record played with a needle and turntable.)

There is also an element of ‘missing out’ on nostalgic collections plus there is a better social aspect as you can’t really share stuff you are listening to through earphones but a CD or record tends to bring joy to all in the room (also other generations).

CDs I can kind of get on board with, even though I no longer own any but why anyone would want a cassette is baffling to me. Having to rewind every time you want to hear a song again, rethreading the ribbon when it gets tangled. No thanks! Hated them in the 90s (before I got a cd player with built-in radio and tape deck for Christmas) and hate them now.

I wonder how much the trend depends on the availability of cheap second hand kit, as with photography equipment and record players.

I think it’s connected with the trend for vintage everything among many young people. Among many of the ones I know it’s a badge of honour to never buy anything new.

Wish i could give my DD my old portable CD player! You had to walk really slowly in case it jumped and you couldnt ride on buses with it as too unstable! Those were the days.

I think it’s trend but my ds loves it all like original iPods, Gameboys etc

@Faliforniahe sounds just like my brother in law! My sister is trying to make space by getting rid of his CD collection. It’s not happening. 🤣

.....and a planner / notebook that costs about £60

Direct her to The Works. She'll get a lot more for her £60.

there is a better social aspect as you can’t really share stuff you are listening to through earphones but a CD or record tends to bring joy to all in the room

Yes, I remember getting together with friends and playing tapes and singing along and actually talking to each other! Fun times.

This was my exact model, mid/late 90s Christmas present. The nostalgia it triggers is strong!

I think this is an interesting aspect of it. I think its true that things like analog hobbies like knitting and film photography are quite expensive or can be. Also even I notice in the content online I know my DD watches that there is a certain status to reading especially more literary books, writing (extra points for using cursive or a fountain pen) your thoughts down or journaling in a notebook and in being "offline" to a large extent. By contrast the implication is that being online, watching lots of shortform content is "brain rot" and ruining your attention span.

It reminds me of that story that the same wealthy silicone valley techs who do all they can to make their social media and tech as addictive as possible supposedly also ban their own kids from using it.

I do wonder how it will play out. Will being online a lot, consuming streaming content, shortform videos and so on be seen as a cheaper, low social status way to live while having a rich offline life with many tangible hobbies and activities or being able to read a lengthy literary book for example be seen as elite in some way or perhaps it will all just fade away?

@HelenaWilson It s a specific trendy brand of notebook planner thing she wants with a leather cover and charms. She's seen some dupes on etsy that she likes and will be happy with. I don't think the works will cut it for her!

My DH is a huge vinyl junkie. He has quite a few first presses. A few years ago he bought an old Bang& Oluffson stereo system. Had it refurbished and the sound quality is unreal.
Ive never heard anything as good as that

Perhaps but a lot of old photography stuff if its for film is quite expensive unless it's just a point and shoot. Records are also eye wateringly expensive. I used to buy lp's in the 90's for pennies because nobody wanted them anymore.

Buying second hand is more sustainable although as it gets more popular it does push prices up.

Also while its not my kids (yet and it better not be) but another retro thing that seems to be making a come back is good old fashioned cigarettes. Really noticing that 20 somethings are regularly smoking actual cigarettes now rather than vaping which seems to be the preserve of kids and older ex-smokers. Hardly anyone my age smokes at all or has ever smoked and while I hope smoking in young people is still low it does seem to be making a come back and I do think it's seen as quite cool.

Or, leaving him in dire straits 😁

That’s so interesting.
Last week at dinner dh and I were talking about the Facebook reels we get sucked into watching and 16yo ds was like, ‘I can’t believe you’re watching shortform content!’
In the way that teenagers pin their identity to a cause, his cause is rejecting AI.
He does stop motion animation with plasticine, Aardman style- there’s another analogue hobby, though he hasn’t yet got as far as wanting to film it with a cine camera rather than his phone 😬

I only gave up my wired Bose earbuds because there was no longer a headphone jack in the phone

So annoying because they were 100 times better than the wireless ones.

We really need the phone companies to put the headphone jack back in the phone.

@TheCountessofFitzdotterel Yeah I think it is interesting and yes your also right about how teenagers and young people do have that very passionate identification with causes and so on. I suppose for many of us who were not digital natives in the truest sense they must have quite a different experience to us and so a stronger reaction against it perhaps? I think its certainly a good thing many seem to be questioning it all and seeking other things to do!

@EmeraldRoulette Wired headphones do sound better but Bluetooth headphones are so convenient for exercise and cleaning. I do use wired if I am listening on the train or someplace I'm stationary. My very old phone does have a headphone jack still but they do seem to be getting phased out.

They make lovely record players that are portable too, not expensive so quality won’t be the best but fine for a teen trying out a new hobby , about £40.