By: Maddie Schmidt
Our phones have made taking pictures almost effortless. We can capture a moment, see it
instantly, edit it, post it and then move on to the next thing—all without ever putting our phone
down. So why are young adults carrying around an extra device when the best camera they own
is already in their pocket?
For a generation raised on smartphones, there is something strangely appealing about
returning to digital cameras, a technology that feels almost outdated.
Caleb Asmare, a senior chemistry-biochemistry major, explained that using a digital
camera feels novel in our world of technology.
“I do think there is a nostalgic feeling to using digital cameras, in part because of how
much our lives have become dependent on our phones and computers,” Asmare stated. “It feels
like going back to what we used as kids or what our parents used.”
Asmare went on to explain that Gen Z seems to particularly like calling back to old trends
and making them resurface.
“I think digital cameras became popular with Gen Z alongside other trends, including
Y2K, vintage, and other throwback trends,” Asmare stated. “The desire to emulate those eras
brought digital cameras back.”
With digital cameras becoming trendy again, there has also been a surge of people either
posting their photos that they took with their digital cameras or talking about using their digital
cameras on their social media.
Henry Valderrama, a senior finance major, said he thinks celebrities posting about their
digital cameras has helped to push the trend even further.
“Gen Z is very cultured by music and fashion and celebrities,” Valderrama said. “I know
Dua Lipa has her ELPH 360 HS, which created a whole movement with her fans, and Hailey
Bieber has also added to the trend by using a digital camera for her social media. I think us
looking up to celebrities and pop culture in general is really bringing us back to digital cameras.”
Valderrama went on to say that, along with celebrities, influencers have also begun to
incorporate digital cameras into their content. Influencers have even started new micro-trends
such as bedazzling their digital cameras.
But nostalgia may only explain why we are drawn to digital cameras. The reason we
continue to reach for them might have more to do with what they offer that our phones don’t.
Georgia Beckworth, a freshman nursing major, explained that she appreciates the
intentionality behind taking photos.
“A digital camera not only adds a more nostalgic look to photos,” Beckworth said, “but
the whole process gives you the opportunity to disconnect from your phone and take intentional
time to take the photo and transfer it to your device. It makes you actually take time for your
photo.”
That opportunity to disconnect from our phones while still capturing the moment seems
to be what truly appeals to our generation. We are so used to using our phones for everything
else that it’s nice to have something separate.
Sam Ramos, a junior pastoral care major, elaborated on this idea further by comparing
photos to music.
“There is a reason people still collect physical media like CDs and record players when
they have the option to stream music instead,” Ramos stated. “Having a designated artifact for
these things adds to the experience.”
And this is where the appeal of digital cameras really comes out–in the experience that
the photo creates.
Valderrama said he enjoys the experience that using a digital camera provides for him
and his friends.
“I just went on a trip, and after every time I would take a photo, everyone would come
around me; we would just huddle, looking at the small screen,” Valderrama said. “It just makes
the moment so surreal because when you snap a really good picture, everyone gets so excited.
But we don’t get that same experience with our iPhones.”
Beckworth said she appreciates the way she is able to connect with other people using her
digital camera.
“I love the community aspect of it,” Beckworth said. “You take photos of people, send
them the pictures, and it creates opportunities to connect with them.”
Beckworth went on to explain that because of the experience that her digital camera
provides, she looks back on the photos she takes with a special fondness.
“Digital cameras are able to freeze a memory in time in a special way and adds a sense of
sentimentality that makes a photo feel more important when I look back on it,” she said.
What begins as a way to take a picture can quickly become something more—a reason to
interact, laugh and create a memory together.
A digital camera can turn an ordinary night with friends into the kind of memory that
feels tangible: the blurry picture someone took while everyone was laughing, the accidental
photo of someone’s shoes, or the group picture where nobody knew where to stand.
You don’t always know what the pictures look like until later, but when you finally see
them, they bring the moment back with them. Maybe that’s why an old piece of technology has
found its way into the hands of a new generation.
