The same principle can apply to books and while I am ok with not owning a physical copy of an album or film I love, I seem unable to do the same with books and I must own them. I try to buy mostly second-hand to limit the damage, but still.
You've pointed at something that it's very true: the need for ownership in a world where it seems more and more things are only temporary, but also the seemingly endless offer digital entertainment has created and the fear of something disappearing for good unless we own it physically.
It's interesting how we used to own less things pre-Internet as we felt they would be still around in a few years' time and therefore there wasn't the pressure to possess them. There was also a lot less on offer, which probably is a contributing factor, and we could focus our attention a lot better on a new film or album, which probably would be available at the cinema or played at the radio for months (instead of weeks when not days) and therefore we were able to make an informed decision about what we truly wanted to be ours.
Which is a nice segue for High Fidelity and a man who owns a record shop :) I must have read the novel on which the movie is based about five times (by the way Nick Hornby is also on Substack) and it only gets better and better with time. It is so good in fact that I own two copies of it 😂
Yeah, I didn’t touch books because I feel like the difference between reading on paper and on a screen is much more pronounced than watching a DVD vs streaming. Or listening to an online version of a song and one on vinyl. But said that I also try to not buy that many books or do it more consciously.
I wish blockbusters still existed, though I'm sure that would come with its own problems. I definitely like owning physical media, but I agree I don't think it's THE solution. Maybe it can be a small part of it. The library is definitely a great place to go and a lot of them let you put DVDs on hold so you don't even have to go to the shelf to find it!
It was so nice going to Blockbuster to rent a movie. You could get recommendations, interact with people, etc. Kind of how it was (is) nice going to a music store as well. :)
The same principle can apply to books and while I am ok with not owning a physical copy of an album or film I love, I seem unable to do the same with books and I must own them. I try to buy mostly second-hand to limit the damage, but still.
You've pointed at something that it's very true: the need for ownership in a world where it seems more and more things are only temporary, but also the seemingly endless offer digital entertainment has created and the fear of something disappearing for good unless we own it physically.
It's interesting how we used to own less things pre-Internet as we felt they would be still around in a few years' time and therefore there wasn't the pressure to possess them. There was also a lot less on offer, which probably is a contributing factor, and we could focus our attention a lot better on a new film or album, which probably would be available at the cinema or played at the radio for months (instead of weeks when not days) and therefore we were able to make an informed decision about what we truly wanted to be ours.
Which is a nice segue for High Fidelity and a man who owns a record shop :) I must have read the novel on which the movie is based about five times (by the way Nick Hornby is also on Substack) and it only gets better and better with time. It is so good in fact that I own two copies of it 😂
Yeah, I didn’t touch books because I feel like the difference between reading on paper and on a screen is much more pronounced than watching a DVD vs streaming. Or listening to an online version of a song and one on vinyl. But said that I also try to not buy that many books or do it more consciously.
I wish blockbusters still existed, though I'm sure that would come with its own problems. I definitely like owning physical media, but I agree I don't think it's THE solution. Maybe it can be a small part of it. The library is definitely a great place to go and a lot of them let you put DVDs on hold so you don't even have to go to the shelf to find it!
It was so nice going to Blockbuster to rent a movie. You could get recommendations, interact with people, etc. Kind of how it was (is) nice going to a music store as well. :)