00:02Gen Z is bringing back gadgets that previous generations thought were gone
00:07forever. VHS tapes, CD players, Game Boys, disposable cameras, and even landlines
00:15are all making a comeback. This isn't just about nostalgia. Younger generations
00:19are looking for an escape from constant notifications and endless scrolling.
00:24Today, everything we want is a tap away. But back in the 90s, entertainment was
00:29hard-earned. Movie night meant driving to Blockbuster to pick out a VHS tape and if
00:34you forgot to rewind it before returning it, you paid a fee. By 2004, Blockbuster
00:39had more than 9,000 stores worldwide. But in 2010, the company filed for bankruptcy
00:46and by 2013, the remaining stores were shuttered for good. Now, VHS is creeping
00:53back. In a Consumer Reports survey, 15% of Americans said they had watched one in the
00:58previous year. CD players are making a comeback too. Sony sold 46 million Discman
01:04players by 1999, before the iPod largely replaced them. But CDs are getting popular
01:10again with collectors and younger fans buying physical albums from artists like
01:15Taylor Swift. The same Consumer Reports study found that 45% of Americans listened
01:21to CDs the year before. Retro games are seeing a huge revival. Nintendo has sold more than 118
01:28million Gameboy and Gameboy Color consoles worldwide. The Nintendo 64 basically defined sleepovers
01:35in the late 90s. Some game systems and titles have seen a major resurgence. 14% of people who
01:42took the same survey said they'd played a system released before 2000. Gaming nostalgia is also
01:48booming online. Retro gaming videos have amassed more than 6 billion views on TikTok, according
01:54to The Guardian, as younger players and millennials rediscover classic consoles and games. Games like
02:00Mario Kart and GoldenEye are turning multiplayer gaming back into an actual in-person event. No headsets,
02:07no Discord, just four controllers and chaos. A similar revival is happening with disposable cameras.
02:14Gen Z loves the unfiltered look of old photos because they feel more real and less curated.
02:20And some parents are even bringing back landlines. One mom told Business Insider she wasn't ready to
02:26give her daughter a smartphone, so she bought her daughter a Wi-Fi powered landline instead.
02:31The underlying sentiment behind this trend is clear. People want technology that feels intentional again,
02:37using devices that do one thing well, and don't end up in doomscrolling.
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