As someone who has been an avid consumer of streaming subscriptions for years, I never thought I’d see the day when I canceled them all, except for one: Curiosity Stream. (I’m in love with their educational content!) However, a couple of years back, I decided to opt for the good old-fashioned approach to entertainment: DVDs.
Now, before you start judging me as a technophobe, hear me out. I’m not saying that subscription services are bad; they have undoubtedly revolutionized the way we consume media. However, I can’t help but feel like we’re becoming too dependent on them. Every time I’d browse through Netflix, I’m bombarded with an overwhelming number of options. It’s too easy to get lost in the endless sea of content, and before you know it, you’ve spent an entire weekend binging a show you didn’t even like much.
But with DVDs, I’m forced to be more intentional with my choices. At rummage sales, I have to physically sift through a pile of movies and pick out the ones that catch my eye. It’s a slower process, but it’s also more satisfying. And the best part? DVDs are cheap! I’ve found some great deals at garage sales (as low as 25 cents!), and my local library has a fantastic selection of DVDs and other media. It’s a bonus to have a partner with an extensive collection to borrow from as well. 😉
This approach has also helped me become more creative, more consistently. If I want to watch something, there’s a bit more effort involved, which is sometimes just enough of an incentive to instead go craft something, build in the workshop, or get outside in the garden. (A good friend and I built a whole deck in my backyard last summer – who does that?) When I allow my brain to actually be bored, I’m more likely to think outside the box. It’s done wonders for my creative pursuits.
Now, I know what you’re thinking: “But what about the future of technology?” Look, I’m not saying that DVDs are the future. In fact, I’m well aware that they’ve had their moment in the sun. But that’s precisely why I’ve decided to embrace them. In a world where everything is constantly changing and upgrading, it’s nice to have something that feels stable and reliable (and also unfazed by slow internet!).
That said, space was a huge factor in this decision. When I decided to go the DVD route and began to build my collection, I opted to NOT store each movie in its original plastic case. As Marie Kondo would say, they do not spark joy. I instead keep them in color-coded CD ‘wallets’, and paid my kid chore money to catalog them all. (Winning at parenting over here.)
So, as I sit down to watch my latest garage sale find, I can’t help but feel a bit cynical. Will we continue to consume media at this frenzied pace, always chasing the next big thing? Or will we eventually realize that sometimes, the simplest solutions are the best ones? Only time will tell. In the meantime, I’ll be here, enjoying my $1 DVDs and feeling just a bit more grounded.
