mind and muse

Publications that you hold in your hand is something that many would say is dead. And unfortunately, a part of me wants to agree. Magazines, newspapers, books, etc. All these things used to be the only form of amusement and news for the longest time. Knowing that we live in a time now where digital media has taken over and is convenient for all, I want to talk about why physical media holds so much value and deserves to be alive…even in a time of modern technology.

I envy my parents in the way that they didn’t have this modern technology until their late 30’s. Before all of this they had newspapers and magazines. Even more than that, they had record players, they would send post cards, and my mom would strictly use her old Sony Powershot camera. It all seemed so simple for them when that was the reality. Nowadays, if you’re caught reading a newspaper you would be considered old-fashioned, or even outdated. I think that physical media should be more than just “old-fashioned”, I believe it should’ve never lost it’s importance.

People keep using the word “chic” to describe just about everything, and I think this is a great opportunity to say, physical media is as chic as it gets.

This art is so important simply because of it’s connection to the real world. There’s no AI, no opinions, no arguing comment sections, and everything you’re reading keeps you educated and feeds your brain in a positive and/or informative way. When I find myself doomscrolling TikTok, I get so lost in the nonsense of micro trends, overconsumption, and false information. Social media is a place where anyone can post whatever they want, things can blow up whether it be good or bad. I will say, when you read a magazine, often times it can VERY Hollywood; meaning it’s glamorized and not always down to earth. However, it is in fact edited and fact checked. Magazines have depth, less distraction, and much higher quality content.

Right now, I believe the only form of social media we have that is healthy, is Pinterest. It’s inspiration, simple, and quiet. And of course, I find blogging incredibly important too. I genuinely do no think anything comes close to picking up an authentic, true, fashion or lifestyle magazine.

The way I want to go about bringing more physical sources of entertainment into my life will be going to Barnes & Nobles and grabbing a few magazines every couple months. I want to explore Vogue, Rolling Stone, Elle, etc. Lucky for me, my dad still has a newspaper that gets delivered to our house once a week. That newspaper he reads every Sunday morning is part of the reason I wanted to touch on this topic. Same goes for books. Even though I love a good audiobook, I don’t ever want to see physical books go out of style. In a world full of fancy technology, a new iPhone every year, and easy access to everything, let’s generalize the concept of looking forward to seeing pop culture in a more ethical, non-addictive form. Rather than simply waking up in the morning and scrolling through useless content.

Embrace flipping a page rather then flipping between apps.