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A growing number of young people from Generation Z are embracing vintage technology as a way to disconnect from the constant presence of the digital world. Retail data from Amazon UK reveals a notable increase in demand for retro-themed items during its Black Friday sales, with products such as portable vinyl turntables, Tamagotchis, and disposable cameras ranking among the top sellers. Similarly, retailers like Currys and John Lewis have reported a revival in sales of classic gadgets including radios, instant cameras, and alarm clocks.
Seventeen-year-old Declan finds charm in DVDs, a format many consider on the decline. Fond memories of his grandmother’s DVD collection inspired him to build his own, and he particularly appreciates the physical cases that DVDs come in. “There’s something about really clean cases that I love,” he explains. Despite the dominance of streaming platforms like Netflix and Disney+, Declan values the sense of ownership that DVDs offer. “It’s nice to have something you own instead of paying for subscriptions all the time,” he says. He points out that if streaming services were suddenly unavailable, he would still have access to his favourite movies, highlighting DVDs as a “dying way of watching movies” but also as an affordable and authentic medium with generational significance.
Twenty-year-old Saul has been an avid collector of vinyl records since 2016 and has invested more than £1,000 in his collection. While vinyl records tend to be more costly than streaming options, Saul argues the experience is richer. “It’s a more authentic sound,” he says. “The grooves on the record make it feel real, you can hear the difference.” Beyond audio quality, he values the tactile connection, including appreciating album cover art and the physical act of playing a record. Although Saul suspects that vinyl’s popularity may be a passing trend for many, driven by social media and fluctuating costs, he personally intends to continue collecting. “I like having that option to listen,” he remarks.
For 21-year-old Aoibheann, analog photography holds a special appeal that transcends convenience and visual aesthetics. Instead of using her phone camera, she opts for traditional film cameras, like her cherished Pentax Espio, appreciating the distinctive quality and style of photos they produce. “There’s more pressure with film because you’re not going to see the photo straight away, you have to wait. But that’s the novelty of it,” she explains. The nostalgia factor is significant, as she notes many people in her generation are curious because they watched their parents use physical cameras. “Gen Z enjoys the novelty of something we don’t usually have. It’s a break from phones and instant gratification,” she says. Aoibheann believes that physical cameras are timeless and will remain relevant, as they were relied upon by past generations.
Kyle, aged 21, chose to revisit his childhood memories by buying a PlayStation Portable (PSP), a handheld gaming console launched by Sony in 2005 that quickly became popular in the UK but was discontinued roughly ten years later. He describes the experience as “a weird feeling, it’s like a home comfort, you know? It feels retro,” despite the PSP’s inferior screen and controls compared to modern consoles. He appreciates the simplicity of the device: “When you play a modern PlayStation or Xbox, you can’t just play, you need to download updates. With a PSP, you put a game in and play.” Since acquiring the console, Kyle has used it nearly every day, finding games like Need for Speed more addictive than those on his current PlayStation 5. Though he acknowledges that for many the renewed interest in early-2000s technology might be a passing fashion, Kyle intends to keep playing his PSP until it breaks
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