Digital Cameras Make a Comeback

Digital cameras from early 2000s are back in fashion following online revival.

01:43 10 February 2023

Digital cameras are now back in style because of a burgeoning trend online. 

In the past 12 months, videos uploaded on TikTok featuring digital cameras have amassed more than 220million views and thousands of comments mainly from young people. 

Scott Ewart, 32, who lives on the Isle of Arran, said: "A lot of folk find them quite comforting. It reminds them of their childhood, it reminds them of simpler times.

"I find it quite refreshing going back to something so simple. With older cameras you have to work with them a bit more, to get a good photo or to get the most out of them.

"Because with every smartphone you buy, you can't take a bad shot almost."

Paul Greenwood, head of research and insight at the creative agency We Are Social, said it was a "natural cycle" where when people hit their 20s "they become nostalgic for the cultural touchstones of their youth".

He added: "They want to feel comforted when in the real world they feel uncomfortable. And there's some reasons why people are feeling uncomfortable - like the existential dread you're seeing with Ukraine, the pandemic, wealth inequality.

"It's seen as more real and authentic. And that's why we're seeing this trend really play out, because the grainy kind of content you see is basically shorthand for authenticity and realness. That's what Gen Z are looking for."