cameras; offering vast storage. Sales of single-purpose cameras fell by more than 60% over the last nine years, replaced by increasingly high-quality camera functions in smartphones and other digital devices. People were capturing images for different reasons, not so much as a record of special moments, but as an everyday stream to share via social media. What was being lost was that sense of quality over quantity, the effort to take the best possible photograph; rather than hundreds of instant snaps that no-one will ever look at again. With this in mind, film-based photography is coming back via Kodak’s Ektachrome and Fujifilm’s black and while film product and Instax; not instead of smartphone pics but as a complement. There can be more practical reasons for the return of old technology. The streets of China’s cities were once filled with people on bicycles; these disappeared with the need for faster means of transport; but ongoing urban growth and development and an accompanying congestion means these ultra-modern conurbations are once again seeing waves of bicycles. The nineteenth century mode of transport (so effective in finding ways through the queues, and helping people with their physical wellbeing) is complemented by 21st century tech. Digital infrastructure allows for sharing and rental of bikes as and when they’re needed. The market also isn’t just among those with long memories, consumers who can remember the benefits of the past. Books are a good example. The main users of e-books are older; younger readers want the physical object because they want to be seen reading, and seen reading a particular title or author. There’s a whole other set of associations with a book other than gazing into a screen. And, reading a physical book is felt to be an essential way of taking a break from digital life. This is reflected in sales figures: hardcopy book sales are growing (still 80% of the market and up 8% in the last year), while interest in digital versions continues to slip, down a further 2% in 2018. The evolution of technology, old or new, doesn’t matter. We’re never on a pathway of ‘progress’. There’s always a predominance of human needs. And, these needs change according to context and are affected by fashion. So, while vinyl may have demonstrated its powerful hold on the popular imagination of music listeners, its appeal as a practice, it doesn’t mean it won’t be replaced. There’s no reason there can’t be another object that fulfils the need for display of musical tastes and sense of cool combined with the benefits of digital delivery. Renaud Foucart is a Senior Lecturer in the Department of Economics. Foucart, Renaud, Cheng Wan, and Shidong Wang, 'Innovations and technological comebacks’ was published in the International Journal of Research in Marketing in 2018. FIFTY FOUR DEGREES | 15
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