I saw this a little ago and even though it's true that old ways have value, even in smartphone AR/VR era, I also have a feel that this revival was more or less a dead cat bounce and not something that will grow much more. Kids today live in the era of real time video + AR filters.. there's a chance that this represent their magic / zeitgeist.
Kids grow up. The instant gratification hit gives way over time as we gain exposure to the world, and to mastery.
Without a doubt real-time video sharing and VR/AR will colour our world and help shape the future. They already have.
But that's not the point I was making. It's that, without certain knowledge of the future many people are willing to generalize and write off "old technology" in a fleeting way and without reflection.
Upon further reflection (using the music industry as an example), something like a vinyl music record was optimized for human attention and appreciation of a certain type of artwork. The industry, beginning in the 80's through the early 2000's, figured people would only care for convenience, and "good-enough" quality.
The current market forces have shown them to be wrong in their assumption that was the sum of what made music listening and purchases worthwhile. In reality, the experience from end-to-end really shaped the value of it.
From the sensual aspects of browsing a record store—smells, feeling, sociability, exposure to new art—to taking the physical object home, opening it, and performing the ritual of setting it on the turntable and tuning a system to play it back to your pleasure.
A lot of that was lost in the novelty of being able to carry your favourite songs everywhere in your pocket. The industry adapted, began to shut down old production facilities and retire old machinery.
When the novelty wore off and people were seeking more of an experience and less commodity the industry was not prepared for it.
It's getting there now. And I think we've ended up with what's approaching the best of all possible worlds: we've got convenience when we want it, and a selection of encompassing experiences for those who appreciate them.
The big mistake was the same big mistake humanity will make over and over again as it optimizes for itself: hubris. Illustrated by: "We've learned something new and incredible! Well now we know everything."
We never do, of course. But regardless, barring some forced eternal austerity or all-consuming catastrophe, humanity continues to optimize for itself always narrowing on on the mean good (often exercising a range of potential outcomes along the way from inconsequential to horrendous).
Relating to the larger subject at hand: paper is optimal in so many ways and the environmental aspects become only technical problems to be solved, not philosophical ones about whether or not it's worth it. Being so ready to erase something like that and force humanity onto tablet computers or some other novel technology is such a fine illustration of hubris it's almost trite.
> Kids grow up. The instant gratification hit gives way over time as we gain exposure to the world, and to mastery.
Yes, I meant this in a generation-period sense. For 10-20 years AR/VR will be the fad that this kid will run for until they grow up. But it may also be strong enough to shift the culture long term.
I feel the same about 'old' not being lesser than new. Many spoke about how strange this feeling is. How limited 8bit games were full of wonders, weird illustrations. Yes the feeling of browsing small or big stores for items (music, books or else).. it's all part of our lives and 24/7 digital nomad with all of spotify.. doesn't compensate for this somehow.
I spend a lot of time reading about old tech. Sometimes I'm astonished but the ingenuosity or beauty (log slider rules are my favorite computing device now). I powered an old tape drive and the mechanics and sound felt special.. and more fun than the latest tech that is so invisible to our sense. I smile watching how tape decks were made, trivial tech (bits of metal, holes and springs) yet it's not less complex than a program.
I think the best we can really do is look at each successive generation's cultural adoption. Besides something like vinyl, there are many phenomena that persist in spite of being "outdated". I mean, a car will get us somewhere faster, but people still ride horses for other reasons—and for reasons that a car will never be able to even emulate.
