The development of digital technology this century has had one
of the greatest impacts on our consumption of media. The
logarithmic growth of digital technology through the distribution
power of the internet – only rivalled by the inexplicable
growth in popularity of Love Island – has been one
of the defining cultural impacts of our age.
On the face of it, digital technology makes everything easier
for consumers – easy to find, tiny to store and accessible
from everywhere. Why then are some analogue options
flourishing?
eBook sales appear to have peaked (or even be declining) in
favour of physical books. Vinyl sales are through the roof,
although whether this is at the cost of compact discs, mp3s or
streaming services is a complicated prospect. Theatrical movies
distributed on film reels are high-profile and growing from a point
where digital distribution seemed to have conquered all.
Dunkirk was the widest 70mm release since 1992
("Far and Away", fact fans) –
