This past weekend I was sprawled on my bed going through some old photos trying to find specific ones for a project. I ended up getting lost in them for several hours. I laughed, shared some with other family members, got misty eyed looking at pictures of people who are no longer with us, and I cringed at some of the outfits I wore when I was younger.
I noticed 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 have access to a photo album or music collection at your fingertips.
That being said, I was sad that I didn’t have any recent photos I could actually hold in my hands. Yes, I am aware one can go get prints made, but how often do we even bother with that anymore.
Collecting 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 mentioned that those few pictures made the house feel more “homey”, and she hadn’t realized how much she missed seeing photos out.
This lead me to thinking about what other things are starting to disappear due to technology.
I prefer an actually book over an e-book. Bookstores should be safe for a while longer, as research taught me that most people still feel this way.
The act of holding a book creates a more memorable impression. You remember the location within the book where scenes happen. With an e-book, these references don’t exist.
Not surprisingly, I’m also a 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.
Technology is great and I’m excited (sometimes frightened) by where it will take us, but it’s bittersweet 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
Leave a Reply