Over the last 20 years, media has evolved in ways that once seemed unimaginable. With streaming platforms allowing for access to hundreds of millions of songs in just a few clicks and the ability to take high-quality photos in an instant, sharing content has never been easier. Modern forms of media have been designed for ease of access and user-friendliness, but in the process, much of its charm and character has been lost in an overflow of cheap content. In an attempt to revive vibrant, thoughtful media, some students are turning to more vintage forms of technology like cameras and records.
Switching from streaming music to vinyl records, sophomore Daniel Cerda (he/him) has been collecting records for a year and a half, building up quite the collection.
“When you stream music, you don’t own the music, right? You’re essentially paying for access to it. You’re paying for permission. So when you buy a record, you own the music,” Cerda said. “But also it more directly supports the artists, because when you stream music, they only get a small fraction of however much it costs per listen, but when you buy a record, more of that money goes to the artist.”
On top of supporting the artists more directly, Cerda said that some of the difficulties of buying and listening to records actually furthers his admiration of the music since it forces him to slow down and listen through everything.
“Sometimes, when I’m doing homework or just working on things, I like just putting a vinyl on my record player and listening to an album all the way through,” Cerda said. “It makes me appreciate the music more.”
Cerda’s favorite record is Troupeau Bleu by Cortex, with Flower Boy by Tyler the Creator close behind. However, the most unique record in his collection contains his own music. A friend of Cerda’s made the record for him after being impressed by his music.
The detriments of vintage media, such as the inability to just skip past songs with record players and the limited number of photos older cameras can take, force the user to be more present, which, consequently, connects them to the medium.
Capturing magical moments in theater with her beautified camera, junior Sydney Gustafson (she/her) is the proud owner of a Canon Powershot SX740 HS Digital Camera her family has been using for over 15 years. Gustafson said she appreciates the Powershot for its grainy filter and the memories attached to it.
“I feel like it brings back a lot of nostalgia for people to use vintage media,” Gustafson said. “People like using these things that they saw maybe when they were children, or when they were teens.”
While the camera captures a nostalgic feel, Gustafson uses it to capture new memories every day but especially when on trips to the beach with her friends.
“I think it adds a tint on the photos that makes it look a lot more memorable and pretty,” Gustafson said. “It makes all the colors look more vibrant on my camera. And it just on my camera, just makes it look better. And I love it.”
Between the vibrance and trademark tint, Gustafson is never seen far from her camera, and over the years it has evolved to match her flair, taking on a veil of stickers and ribbons.
“I don’t know how to explain it,” Gustafson said. “It makes it look so much more magical.”
