The Irony Of Digital Technology

A recent article in the New York Times highlights one of the ironies of digital technology – it appears that the more advanced, perfecting features our digital cameras and music players evolve towards, the more we yearn for the charming imperfections of analog cameras of yore (Polaroids, Lomos, etc.) Citing media like the Hipstamatic iPhone app, IZotope Vinyl recording software and the Geocities-izer, Rob Walker’s article begs the question; will this sometimes-comical yearning for the technologies of the days of yore find a way into other forms of media?

More than an analog vs. digital debate (we’re uncertain if anyone will trade their smartphone for one of the earliest brick-sized mobile phones), it may simply be driven by a desire to recreate the feeling of a memory, vs. such a perfect, shiningly new image. Will that yearning replace the desire for the highest technical features? Not sure. But it may just speak to a very human desire to recognize that our lives and moments may not be as perfect as the image that captures them – and that sometimes, a blurry, highlighted image can be as beautiful as a mega-pixelated one that showcases every pore, nook and cranny.

“New York Times: “Digital Tools for Making Brilliant Mistakes”