Jenna Elshurafa Contributor

Some technology from the past is the best left in the past. I’ve never seen anyone today seek out a fax machine or a Walkman, and you may not even know what a Walkman is. However, other retro technology is sought after. DVDs are collected, vinyl players are used for home decor that play our favourite albums, and so many of my friends carry disposable cameras that I bought one myself. 

There seems to be a growing desire to use technology that isn’t the most recent and a collective acknowledgement that we should be using the internet less. When I visited a friend’s new apartment the other day, they didn’t have a TV, but they did have a radio. Now this could be the result of an economy and job market that leaves much of Canadian Gen Z living paycheck to paycheck, but the radio was unnecessary even if they couldn’t afford a TV. Outside of occasionally listening to it in the car, I rarely have radio on, and it was nice to have it on in the background.  

Tech brands seem to be noticing these desires; Apple released their first ‘flip phone’ recently. This new flip phone is very far from the flip phone from the past; it bears almost no resemblance. The phone only elicits enough nostalgia that you are intrigued by the idea, maybe just to joke that you now have a flip phone before presenting an iPhone that is bigger than the 18 Pro when open.  

This new phone could be a response to a recent trend of moving away from smartphones and towards ‘dumb’ phones. Although I haven’t seen anyone use an old flip phone, around 15% of phone sales in 2024 were of these older models.  

I still hesitate to say that Gen Z is moving away from the newest technology, especially social media and AI. I have yet to meet one person who hasn’t tried AI, and most people who are against it are against it for moral reasons, not because it’s the newest technology. Social media too is still one of the most used technologies for Gen Z. We are all meeting new people in the first few weeks of class, and we have all traded Instagram handles with a classmate to keep in touch. I find once you move from social media to phone numbers you have moved from acquaintance to a friend.  

What I think is happening is that we are curious about a time that we weren’t part of, and a little fed up with being reliant on technology. Thrifting is one of the most popular ways to get retro clothing. This is a little different from technology, but I think it shows the same fascination with the past. With fall fast approaching, you will find many people watching shows like Gilmore Girls and Gossip Girl. Shows set in the early 2000s feature people using flip phones and DVDs. These shows offer a sense of nostalgia and comfort, and it is only natural that we wish to savor that comfort and transport it into our own lives.  

I don’t think this fascination with old technology is performative or a trend. I think it’s a genuine interest in what used to be. I also think that a disconnection with technology and the internet is a good thing, and most of Gen Z would agree. Social media can be very grim for us. It can cause comparisons that lead to dissatisfaction, or we can get caught in the cycle of bad news after bad news. With all this, it’s natural that we gravitate away from the newest technology. I wouldn’t start calling this a rejection of technology though. We all still use it and rely on it, even as we are drawn to the past for comfort. I wonder which new technologies will be the Walkmans and fax machines, and which will be the vinyl players and DVDs for the next generation.