{"id":49807,"date":"2025-11-17T13:57:37","date_gmt":"2025-11-17T13:57:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/49807\/"},"modified":"2025-11-17T13:57:37","modified_gmt":"2025-11-17T13:57:37","slug":"usfsp-students-join-the-physical-media-renaissance-the-crows-nest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/49807\/","title":{"rendered":"USFSP students join the physical media renaissance\u00a0 \u2013 The Crow’s Nest"},"content":{"rendered":"

USFSP students\u2019 collections include media from cassettes to gaming devices, all showcasing their unique interests, but also the rising engagement with physical media.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Photo courtesy of USFSP students<\/p>\n

By Julia Ferrara<\/p>\n

The streaming industry was supposed to kill off the physical media market.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to an article from The Wrap, DVD and Blu-ray sales\u00a0 fell from $4.7 billion in revenue in 2017 to about $1.5 billion in 2022.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

But even neck-deep into the digital age, there\u2019s been a revival: students prefer to own the media they consume.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Physical media<\/a> refers to any tangible item that is used to store or transmit data. And since the inception of streaming, physical media has taken a back seat with consumers.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

To Violet Addams, a University of South Florida St. Petersburg senior psychology major, the return of physical media is indicative of the growing desire among individuals to engage with others.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPhysical media is making a comeback because it creates a sense of community,\u201d Addams said. \u201cGoing to the record store and seeing your favorite employee, comparing collections with friends; it\u2019s a part of what makes physical media magical.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Addams\u2019 favorite part of interacting with physical media is the \u201chunt\u201d and the satisfaction of finally finding what she\u2019s looking for.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Addams is currently looking to add artist Kitty Craft and rock band Life Without Buildings to her collection. Photo courtesy of Violet Addams\u00a0<\/p>\n

Sophia Lowrie, a senior journalism major, believes that this isn\u2019t a revival, but a return to different forms of media that have always been popular.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI think physical media never really stopped being cool [or] trendy due to its extensive variety; however, I have noticed recent niche audiences turn more towards physical media such as old gaming systems, and old movies.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Lowrie\u2019s gaming collection includes a Sony PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS (XL), and a Nintendo Switch Lite, with games such as Cooking Mama, Style Savvy, and Draw to Life.
Photo courtesy of Sophia Lowrie\u00a0<\/p>\n

Mars Kerr, a junior environmental science major, also understands the aesthetic nature of physical media.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople associate vintage items with looking cool,\u201d said Kerr.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He adds that investing in physical media provides a solution to a more contemporary issue.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0\u201cStreaming and the lack of ownership that comes with things is so frustrating,\u201d said Kerr. \u201cSpecifically with TV and movies, they get passed between streaming services or removed entirely, and it\u2019s irritating that even when we pay for things, we don\u2019t necessarily have access to them.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cBuying physical media provides finality in the purchase,\u201d said Kerr.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Kerr\u2019s collection consists of DVDs and CDs, and they have recently started to collect vinyl records.
Photo courtesy of Mars Kerr\u00a0<\/p>\n

Lowrie notes that physical media can be more reliable than digital media.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile nothing is truly permanent, there is more of a guarantee that your physical media will outlast digital media.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Leo Faeberboeck, a sophomore anthropology and hospitality major, believes that the return of physical media is, in part, due to the need people have to quell their fears.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cPhysical media allows us to have complete ownership of the work, without worrying that it will suddenly disappear or the price will increase,\u201d he said.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf major streaming services decide not to provide a TV show or movie, then it feels inaccessible, like it doesn\u2019t even exist for consumers,\u201d said Faeberboeck.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"Faeberboeck\u2019s collection consists of cassettes, mostly from the classic rock, alternative, and pop genres.
Photo courtesy of Leo Faeberboeck\u00a0<\/p>\n

Faeberboeck, a current collector of cassettes and an aspiring collector of DVDs, shares that using older technology, such as CD or DVD players, feels like taking a break from the doom and gloom of being online.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

These devices also provide them with a unique listening experience compared to their phone.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe revival of physical media feels like a return to my youth, but with new intentions,\u201d said Faeberboeck.\u00a0<\/p>\n


\n\t\t\t\t Post Views: 85 \n\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\"More<\/a>
Written by: Julia Ferrara<\/a> on November 17, 2025. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"USFSP students\u2019 collections include media from cassettes to gaming devices, all showcasing their unique interests, but also the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":49808,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[202,204,203,199,201,200],"class_list":["post-49807","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-st-petersburg","tag-st-pete","tag-st-pete-headlines","tag-st-pete-news","tag-st-petersburg","tag-st-petersburg-headlines","tag-st-petersburg-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49807","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=49807"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/49807\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/49808"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=49807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=49807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=49807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}