This past weekend I was sprawled on my bed going through some old photos trying to find specific ones for a project I was working on. I ended up getting lost in them for several hours. I laughed, I shared some with other family members, I got misty eyed looking at pictures of people who are no longer with us, and I cringed at some of the outfits I wore.
During this, I noticed that they pretty much stopped when my daughter entered middle school, about seven years ago. That’s when technology took over and everything went digital.
Technology is a wonderful thing. It’s nice to be able to send someone a message halfway across the world in an instant or having access to a photo album at your fingertips or being able to access your music collection anytime you want.
However, I was sad that I didn’t have any recent photos that I could actually hold in my hands. Yes, I am aware that one can go get prints made, but how often do we even bother with that anymore.
Collecting some of my favorite pictures, I put a couple in frames and put the rest in a box to sit on the ottoman in front of the couch. When my daughter came home she said that those few pictures made the house feel more “homey”, and that she hadn’t realized how much she missed seeing photos out.
This lead me to thinking about other things that are starting to disappear due to technology.
I’m one of those people that prefers an actually book over an e-book. Seems bookstores will be safe for a while longer, as I found out that most people still prefer a printed book.
Apparently, the just the act of holding a book creates a more memorable impression. You remember the location you were reading with the book. You also remember where certain scenes are in the book, such as the paragraph was at the top of the page or in the middle of the book. With an e-book, these references don’t exist.
Not surprisingly, I’m also big fan of cds and albums. I do have a Spotify account and love the convenience, but with a cd, I can pull out the paper booklet inside to read the lyrics or look at the photos and artwork. I love the association of having something physical to represent the music that I love listening too.
Technology is great and I’m excited (sometimes frightened) by where it will take us, but it’s bittersweet sometimes the things and experiences that may get left behind.
What about you? Do you have a preference for vintage things or are you a tech junkie? Leave me a comment below and let me know.
Waxing nostalgic,
Traci
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