Why People Still Want Analog

Ed Cotton at Influx Insights shares some ideas on his blog about why analog still matters. In our all-digital world, physical things are becoming extinct at an alarming rate. Digital versions of physical objects (calculators, clocks) take away the variety of tactile, visual – even auditory (ticking of a clock) interactions we have experienced in the past. He also thinks that the familiar nature of analog devices evoke nostalgia and emotions that digital can’t replicate.

He explains:

One thing I’ve been noticing recently with the iPhone, is how interested people are in adding very analog applications to their phones. Things that seem pretty mundane and basic and somewhat counter to the technological advances of our time. Many of the most successful applications simply take something solid and dependable from the real world and put it onto the phone- flashlights, pints of beer, flames from Zippos and clocks like the one you can see below.

influx insights: “the power of analog in a digital world”