What Tech Makes You Most Nostalgic?☄️🎞️🕹️📽️🎸👾💿
GREG KAHN
SEP 17, 2023
Vinyl records. Cassette tapes. Vintage arcade games. Atari. Windows 95 software aesthetics. Blackberry’s physical keyboards. Standalone devices with singular functions like Mp3 players and point-and-shoot cameras.
Those references easily spark memories. They might inspire an eye-roll or even some minor frustrations (“How did we manage to type on those miniscule keyboards?” or “Why was Windows 95 always crashing?” or “Can you believe the graphics of Space Invaders?”). But at some level, the images of those past technologies likely provide a feeling of comfort.
I was feeling especially nostalgic last week when Apple unveiled its latest iPhone and Apple Watch. There’s nothing like the excitement of being introduced to the first of something (the first stage of the Hype Cycle). And there’s nothing like the “trough of disillusionment” — the Hype Cycle’s dreaded third stage — when you’re on the 15th (or 17th or even 9th generation) of a product.
When that third Hype Cycle stage captures a wide swath of the public imagination, our collective reaction inevitably turns to nostalgia. Technology excites our sense of thrill and wonder, even if we keep purchasing out of a sense of dull practicality.
What’s Good About Nostalgia?
Nostalgia has its practical side too. Especially during a moment when sustainability is being taken much more seriously.
For example, Apple, which is used to fawning coverage in the mainstream tech press, is suddenly finding intense pushback on claims that production of its Apple Watch Series 9 is carbon neutral.
I’ve been seeing a wave of nostalgia for a time when tech products were distinguished by durability and repairability. I’ve also been struck by praise for boxy designs. And as privacy concerns and increased polarization sweep across social media, I’ve been hearing wistful talk about the smaller circles and experiences of MySpace. (Tom from MySpace, if you’re reading this, let’s talk!)
I find it hard to think that anyone would seriously want to return to using rotary phones and manual typewriters. But I do understand the feeling that incremental improvements in phone features and step-by-step gains in carbon neutrality leave many of us cold.
There’s something about comparing the limitations and imperfections of old technology to the latest advances that instill disappointment. The best of the new is never quite enough; while improvements are infinite, they are also tiny, incremental and of dubious merit. For every unfamiliar gain, something very familiar is lost. In that sense, I’m constantly disappointed by the latest iPhone software update.
New Frustrations
My latest beef: Apple moved the “end call” button back to the middle of the screen in the newest developer version of iOS 17. Apple ended up reversing an earlier decision to move the button to the lower right corner of the iPhone's screen.
My wish is that they completely reimagine the interface below:
We tend to complain about the attractiveness of the “shiny new toy.” What’s often left unsaid is that “the new” is often more complicated. Rather than solving a particular pain point impacting user experience, there’s a tendency to over-engineer the latest software or hardware.
Back to The Future
In response, we turn to nostalgia. To beat back that “trough of disillusionment,” tech companies and brands need to embrace user experience from a more practical standpoint. The need to do this by looking to the past.
What makes the vinyl record experience so appealing? Sound quality is often cited. But that’s not the only reason. There’s an organic look and feel to placing a needle on a groove after taking an album out of the sleeve. There’s the aroma: sometimes it’s that “new vinyl” smell that fills your nostrils; sometimes it’s the musty combination of decaying cardboard album sleeves in the old plastic. (Yes, vinyl records are a fossil fuel product, though most of these clogging up basements, not landfills.)
As technology moves faster and provides more contactless and more widely connected experiences, there’s a paradoxical feeling that we’re more distracted and disconnected. A thing as simple as a record player gives us a greater feeling of being in touch with one thing in one moment.
Let me leave you with a reminder about nostalgia. Retreating to the past is an indulgence. It’s a flight to safety when the present moment grips us with uncertainty and confusion (“What does AI mean for our jobs, our social fabric???” or “Why does it take 5 minutes to connect on a Zoom conference video?”).
I’ve often talked about the slow pace of innovation. But the only way forward is to build on what was great in the past. Going back is never an option.
What are your thoughts on the nostalgic impulse of this moment? Let me know in the comments or via my old AOL email account!
Thank you for reading Beyond the Hype Cycle?.
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Greg Kahn
GK Digital Ventures
Greg Kahn is a catalytic force in the technology, media and entertainment industries, renowned for connecting innovators with investors, growing brands and driving billions of dollars in transactional deals. Learn More >
