The Beauty of Old Tech
Inspired in part by a summer without algorithms. by Jake Frew
The new age
Algorithms. Subscriptions. Pricing Model A, Pricing Model B. WiFi required, Bluetooth required.
Something everyone born in the late 2000s has certainly experienced is the oversaturation of algorithms, big tech companies, and redundant features.
It's all becoming a pain. And I feel like it's holding me back from living life in the way I want to. To experience summer without distractions and to spend more time with friends doing stupid shit.
I've noticed over the past few days, ever since summer break started, that I have been scrolling on Instagram and YouTube way too much. And while that doesn't necessarily hold me back from anything, since school just ended, I still feel like I'm wasting time on something useless.
Why buy something new with a subscription model that will make you addicted and want more?
That's why, for the past few hours I've spent researching items that can help me get rid of unneeded distractions and help me realize that I don't always need the newest and flashiest things and that older and used things are way more than viable. This also helped me realize how society has been fed algorithms and how everything is becoming more and more complicated day by day.
A "retro" compact camera.
As I've been going out to parties and functions more and more, I've realized that moments like those need to be captured. That's why I have my trusty Polaroid Go Gen 2 with me for those times. But sometimes it's just too much to deal with analog film because it either doesn't develop right or people lose the physical pictures. So I've been trying to find a 2010s compact camera with crappy quality to bring along with the Polaroid.
And of course, I could just use my phone, but there's a charm to using stuff like old digital cameras and film cameras. It has such a nostalgic and 2000s vibe that no phone camera could replicate.
I have my eyes on a certain camera on eBay, but I won't share until I get it, since I don't want it to get sold before I land on my final decision.
Price: ~50€
iPod
For a long time now I've been trying to get away from music algorithms and paying for Spotify. First I thought about self-hosting my music, but I feel like it would be a pain to maintain in the long run. It also requires me to keep paying for this VPS which if I ever get into financial issues I'm not sure would be viable.
But I've recently come to the idea of buying an iPod. It solves all my issues. It allows me to play all the music I want whenever I want without needing the internet or any subscription. I can mod it and put firmware like Rockbox on it. I can connect my AirPods to it with a Bluetooth dongle. Plus I have way more than enough storage at 160GB for the ~1000 songs I currently have in my Spotify library.
And while I'm not sure most people would go so far as to replace Spotify with an iPod, I am ready and am looking into it.
Price: ~100€
A simpler life
I want to live life to the fullest. I want to document everything. Go out with friends, drink, get rejected a few times, do stupid shit, get the cops called on me once or twice. I don't want to spend my teenage years scrolling away and keeping up with idiotic trends. When I'm older I want to have the craziest stories to tell the grandkids. I don't want to feel like I've wasted my life not doing what I love the most and just doing what everybody else is.
Phones, algorithms, and subscriptions are all real problems we're facing not only as people but as humankind. And especially everyone growing up right now. It's an issue that's being ignored and pushed aside. It's an issue we didn't have 20 years ago. Times are different, times are more tense and you can even say they pass faster.
Maybe we should go back to the time technology didn't require you to endlessly scroll or empty your wallet. A time when technology was used for its purpose, a time when everything was simpler.
Day 47 of #100DaysToOffload
