{"id":329432,"date":"2025-12-07T02:33:09","date_gmt":"2025-12-07T02:33:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/329432\/"},"modified":"2025-12-07T02:33:09","modified_gmt":"2025-12-07T02:33:09","slug":"why-do-gen-z-have-a-growing-appetite-for-retro-tech","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/329432\/","title":{"rendered":"Why do Gen Z have a growing appetite for retro tech?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gen Z are going retro. People in their teens and early 20s are increasingly turning to old school tech in a bid to unplug from the online world.<\/p>\n

Amazon UK told BBC Scotland News that retro-themed products surged in popularity during its Black Friday event, with portable vinyl turntables, Tamagotchis and disposable cameras among their best sellers.<\/p>\n

Retailers Currys and John Lewis also said they had seen retro gadgets making a comeback with sales of radios, instant cameras and alarm clocks showing big jumps.<\/p>\n

‘There’s something authentic about having DVDs’\"Declan<\/p>\n

Declan says the main selling point of DVDs is the cases [BBC]<\/p>\n

While some people scroll endlessly through Netflix in search of their next watch, 17-year-old Declan prefers the more traditional approach of having a DVD in his hands.<\/p>\n

He grew up surrounded by his gran’s collection and later bought his own after visiting a shop with a friend.<\/p>\n

“The main selling point for me is the cases,” he says.<\/p>\n

“There’s something about really clean cases that I love.”<\/p>\n

Streaming services like Netflix and Disney+ dominate the market but Declan says he values ownership.<\/p>\n

“It’s nice to have something you own instead of paying for subscriptions all the time,” he says.<\/p>\n

“If I lost access to streaming tomorrow, I’d still have my favourite movies ready to watch.”<\/p>\n

He admits DVDs are a “dying way of watching movies” but that makes them cheaper.<\/p>\n

“I think they’re just cool, there’s something authentic about having DVDs,” he says.<\/p>\n

“These things are generations old, it’s nice to have them available.”<\/p>\n

‘The grooves on the record make it feel real’\"Saul,<\/p>\n

Saul has spent more than \u00a31,000 on old vinyl records [BBC]<\/p>\n

Saul, 20, has been collecting vinyl records since 2016.<\/p>\n

With new vinyl albums costing about \u00a335 on average, it might seem expensive compared to streaming but Saul feels it’s worth it.<\/p>\n

“It’s a more authentic sound,” he says.<\/p>\n

“The grooves on the record make it feel real, you can hear the difference.<\/p>\n

“It’s about having something physical you can look at instead of just scrolling through your phone mindlessly.”<\/p>\n

For Saul, the appeal goes beyond sound quality.<\/p>\n

“You’ve got the actual cover art, and you put the disc down yourself, it’s a hands-on experience.” he says.<\/p>\n

Saul admits that vinyl’s popularity might not last forever.<\/p>\n

“For a lot of people, I think vinyl is just a trend,” he says.<\/p>\n

“It’s the same way things come and go, like different trends on social media.<\/p>\n

“Once it becomes too expensive, people will click off it,” he says.<\/p>\n

“I’ll still collect because I like to have them. I like having that option to listen.”<\/p>\n

‘Physical cameras are timeless’\"Aoibheann<\/p>\n

Aoibheann’s favourite camera is a Pentax film camera, an SBO 105 [BBC]<\/p>\n

While most people instinctively reach for their phones to take photos, 21-year-old Aoibheann prefers the deliberate artistry of traditional cameras.<\/p>\n

“There’s something about the quality of them and the style of photo you get, it’s unmatched compared to your phone.” she says.<\/p>\n

“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.<\/p>\n

“I’ll take my camera to birthdays, holidays, even walks,” she says.<\/p>\n

Aoibheann believes the appeal of traditional cameras runs deeper than aesthetics.<\/p>\n

It is rooted in nostalgia, she says.<\/p>\n

“Many people are curious about the experience of using physical cameras because they grew up seeing their parents use them,” she says.<\/p>\n

“Gen Z enjoys the novelty of something we don’t usually have. It’s a break from phones and instant gratification.<\/p>\n

“Physical cameras are timeless. They’ll never go out of fashion because past generations relied on them.”<\/p>\n

‘It’s more addictive than any game I’ve got on my PS5.’\"Kyle<\/p>\n

The PSP sold 185,000 units in the UK during its first four days on the market in 2005 [BBC]<\/p>\n

Kyle, 21 got a PSP to relive his childhood and enjoy the nostalgic simplicity of gaming without modern hassles like updates or downloads.<\/p>\n

The PSP (PlayStation Portable) is a handheld gaming console made by Sony that became an instant hit in the UK when it was introduced in 2005 but was discontinued a decade later as technology moved on.<\/p>\n

“It was the first game console that I grew up with, it’s a weird feeling, it’s like a home comfort, you know? It feels retro,” he says.<\/p>\n

“Obviously the screen isn’t as good, the buttons aren’t as good, it’s a lot more unreliable, but that’s not the point.<\/p>\n

“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”.<\/p>\n

Kyle says: “Since I got it, I’ve used it almost every day. I’ve been playing Need for Speed on my PSP, it’s more addictive than any game I’ve got on my PS5.”<\/p>\n

Embodying the streamlined look of early-2000s technology, the PSP resurgence could be seen as just another passing trend.<\/p>\n

“I feel like there’s definitely a performative aspect to it, almost like an accessory for some people.” he says.<\/p>\n

“For the majority, it’s just a fad, a trend. But for people like me, I’ll be playing this until it breaks.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Gen Z are going retro. People in their teens and early 20s are increasingly turning to old school…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":329433,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[145328,71094,49,48,145326,8980,145327,12209,61,101703],"class_list":{"0":"post-329432","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-technology","8":"tag-amazon-uk","9":"tag-bbc-scotland-news","10":"tag-ca","11":"tag-canada","12":"tag-disposable-cameras","13":"tag-gen-z","14":"tag-instant-cameras","15":"tag-john-lewis","16":"tag-technology","17":"tag-vinyl-records"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329432","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=329432"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/329432\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/329433"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=329432"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=329432"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=329432"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}