From The Editor’s Desk: The Joy in Physical Media

Every day our world is more and more digitized. While my back is certainly counting its blessings, being spared the toil of lugging a heap of books and paper back and forth between campus and my apartment, there’s another part of me — maybe the soul? — which longs for the analog age. 

Of course, there’s comfort in a book, and although our Gen X parents may still have their noses in E-readers, kids our age seem to agree on the virtues of printed books. 

When it comes to assigned readings for class, however, there’s not even a conversation — PDFs and web pages reign supreme. This is a shame. 

There’s something to be said for being able to pick up, hold, fold, smudge and rip a piece of paper. The act of writing notes in the margins is far easier than adapting to each E-reading software’s note taking and highlighting function. Hell, it presents the opportunity to doodle when you just need to zone out for a second. 

There’s even a utilitarian argument in favor of good old-fashioned paper. Researchers at Macquarie University in Australia found in a January 2024 study that readers retain information at higher rates when reading off physical paper instead of a screen. 

While it’s certainly convenient to pull a reading up online, perhaps in the long run we could save more time by avoiding needing to reread half a page because our eyes glazed over or we forgot key information ahead of a midterm exam.

This may seem like a silly thing to lament considering I could be the change I want to see and just print out all of the readings I’ve been assigned — but I’m out of print funds and the website to add more is horribly unintuitive. 

However, there are other realms where we can push back against digitization. In fact, if you’re reading this in the print version of this week’s Phoenix you’re already halfway there. 

Print newspapers and magazines present a much needed alternative to the digital news and information ecosystem. With a print copy you can fully absorb yourself in what you’re reading, free from nagging distractions in the forms of pop-up ads and push notifications. 

You can hand a magazine to your buddy and say, “Hey, I think you should read this,” in an act infinitely more personal than sending a link. 

The convenience offered by digital music streaming services is undeniable, but those low quality digital files will never be able to compete with the warmness of the snap, crackle, pop sound that floats out of a vinyl record. Nor will Netflix’s base-level offerings ever be able to stack up to the wide array of bonus features included on DVDs. 

Basically, what I’m saying is you should fill your space and shelves with a bunch of small, collectible items that will serve as a great source of conversation with like-minded friends — but are also bound to make your life a living hell when it comes time to move out.