I’ve written about new technologies, technology shifts, disruptive technologies, and the way we work and how it’s changing all the time. I find it fascinating. Often, what’s going on in the real world mirrors trends in the business world and vice versa.
I’m not sure yet what parallels I’m going to draw here, but I’ll paint a picture and you can interpret it as you will.
As many of you know I’m a huge music fan. I used to have nearly 1,500 albums and hundreds of 45 rpm records at one time. Then CDs came along and I sold most of my records (they were always a pain to move anyway). I would eventually acquire nearly as many CDs, which also became a pain to move. Today, I download most of my music from iTunes, purchasing an occasional CD for the liner notes or box set for all the extras that I can’t get digitally…yet.
I’m doing the same thing with books. At one time my bookshelves were filled with books, now it’s just my favorites, some I may read again, some probably not. These days I do most of my reading on my iPad using my Kindle app. I still like the feel of a hard cover book in my hands and buy hard covers from time to time, mostly those written by my favorite authors whose books I still feel compelled to have on my book shelf.
I used to be an impulsive DVD buyer too, walking through Target, seeing what was on sale, then buying it and waiting for that rainy day when I was going to watch it. I’m still waiting on some of those rainy days. Now I have a watch list on Netflix and Amazon Prime. I still buy DVDs, being a big movie geek, mostly foreign and classic movies from Criterion www.criterion.com, where the DVDs are loaded with special features and often have booklets written by some of the world’s top film critics.
The digital world has dramatically changed things for me. I used to love browsing through bookstores and record stores, and the DVD aisles at Borders, Barnes & Noble, and Target. That thrill is gone. I go into the Princeton Record Exchange, one of the few brick and mortar stores still selling vintage vinyl and used CDs in my area, and think, “I don’t want to take up space with this stuff anymore.” I avoid the DVD aisle at Target, knowing I can always watch those recent releases on Netflix or Amazon Prime.
I may not be 100 percent digital yet, but I’m getting there. Much to my surprise, I’m not kicking and screaming along the way, I’m going willingly.
How about you?
Thanks for reading.
