Gen-Z is bringing back physical media.
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In 1999, Blockbuster was the dominant force in home entertainment, with each store stocking up to 10,000 physical VHS and DVD titles. Less than a decade later, Netflix made the model obsolete through digital streaming. In 2001, Apple’s iPod famously put 1,000 songs in your pocket, eliminating the need for physical CDs, cassettes and mixtapes. In 2004, the launch of Facebook’s social media network shifted audience attention from curated editorial publications to social feeds. For over two decades, the emerging global narrative has been relentless digitalization. But are Gen-Z bringing back physical media?
Unlike previous generations, young people in digitally connected countries don’t remember a pre-internet age, before smartphones and social media algorithms. Many are familiar with Netflix syndrome: where users end up spending more time browsing titles than watching content. Market fragmentation is also causing “subscription burnout” as shows and movies are hosted across multiple platforms, requiring multiple paid subscriptions.
The ability to own a physical DVD gives people a sense of ownership and autonomy. Users can choose how to interact with the physical media and are less reliant on the impulses of global media and streaming platforms. Furthermore, physical media formats like VHS and DVDs introduce more friction into young people’s lives. Young people are forced to go to a physical store, choose which show they want to purchase, then buy it and bring it home. They can also share VHS and DVDs with others—in ways streaming platforms have banned—and watch more communally in groups, rather than the default solo-watching experience of streaming platforms. Finally, owning a shelf of movies, TV shows and music can outwardly signal your identity and interests in a way that’s impossible with digital media. A declaration of who you are, what you believe and what community you belong to. Which explains why Letterboxd is the new personality test for Gen-Z.
There’s another clear benefit to owning physical media. You can choose how and when to engage with media. In other words, there’s a way to disconnect without being sucked into the black hole of the algorithm. Unlike digital media, which is connected to our smartphones and laptops, with infinite loops, personalized algorithmic content and no stopping point, physical media introduces choice, active consumption and a clear endpoint. The record stops, the episode finishes and your evening ends. The resurgence of physical media owes much to the confluence of two trends: nostalgia and growing interest in an analog lifestyle.
On an emotional level, retro technology such as flip phones, CDs and vinyl conjures images of a simpler time when people were free from the obligation of endless scrolling on social media. At the same time, adoption is accelerated by young people swapping state-of-the-art technology for more lo-fi alternatives. Gen-Z are also fueling the resurgence of Kodak analog and disposable cameras. Meanwhile, in China, young professionals are escaping the hustle of big cities for “youth retirement villages” where they can farm, relax and cook collectively.
The resurgence of physical media coincides with growing demand for more editorial and curated content. In the age of AI slop, young people are seeking tastemakers to help them discover their own interests and persona. For the first time in history, the number of AI-generated articles has overtaken human-written articles. We’re already seeing Gen-Z’s backlash against AI with booing at graduation speeches and disliking of AI-generated ads. There’s a desire for a more human, less polished perspective. Young people are discovering and falling in love with print magazines. In an era where you can generate thousands of words, pictures and videos with the press of a button, there’s immense value in media platforms and brands that can encode, decode and exchange meaning. They can help young people uncover what matters and why. i-D relaunched its bi-annual print publication last year J.Crew has revived its signature catalog. And brands like Rare Beauty are using Substack more like a modern magazine than a polished marketing channel.
Most brands are fixated on performance marketing, digital optimization and maximizing online conversions via Meta, YouTube, TikTok ads and creator partnerships. Meanwhile, young people are trying to escape algorithmic environments in search of true human connection. Physical media offers a vehicle for Gen-Z to communicate their identity, but more crucially, to draw healthier boundaries between digital media and physical life. Where one stops and where the other begins. Physical media is unlikely to overtake digital media and is less trackable and quantifiable for brands, but it offers an opportunity to build trust and a more meaningful relationship with young people. In a world with infinite AI slop, depth and meaning become important differentiators.