We’re not shy about promoting the benefits of physical media here. Some of those benefits are easy to appreciate, even if they don’t fully convince you to ditch streaming and digital downloads. You likely understand that discs can offer better picture quality. Maybe you know that a digital download or streaming version of a piece of content can disappear, while a physical copy is something you truly own. Perhaps you’ve even considered some of the science-backed reasons physical media can enhance your enjoyment of a piece of content.However, those are some of the more well-known advantages physical media offers over digital media. If they’re not enough to convince you that physical media’s comeback is more than just a fad, consider these points.

Social connection can be found at the record store

People who love books, movies, and music tend to enjoy talking about these topics with others. In the past, this might have meant congregating at the local record store or bookshop to share recommendations.

That experience has become less common in the streaming age. When you rely on an algorithm for recommendations, there’s less immediate reason to head to a store to browse the selection. Of course, the rise of streaming and digital downloads has also put many of those stores out of business.Surveys and research consistently show that people throughout the world are growing more and more lonely as we become increasingly hooked to our devices while letting third spaces fade away. Physical media offers a solution to this issue. Yes, you can technically order a disc, book, or record online, but the culture surrounding physical media encourages visiting brick-and-mortar stores to shop for these items whenever possible. That experience can translate into the kind of social connection that many feel is lacking in today’s world.

Generous consumers may be willing to lend their discs, records, and books to others

Physical media’s culture doesn’t just foster social connection through discussions between film, book, and music nerds at their local shops. It can also help people develop friendships through lending. For example, maybe you meet someone who has similar taste in books as you. If you only have a digital copy of a book you think they should read, you can’t exactly share it with them. You can recommend it, but if the local library doesn’t have a copy, they’ll need to pay for one.That’s not an issue when you already have a physical copy. If you’re willing to trust an item from your collection with someone else, you can let them borrow yours.That’s just one example. The main point is that a physical media collection is something you can literally share with others. The same can’t be said for digital media. When you share your books, records, or Blu-rays, you might also build the kinds of friendships based around, well, shared interests.

Physical media guards against endless scrolling

One of the benefits people often cite when explaining why physical media is superior to digital is the ritual element physical media introduces into the experience of watching a movie, listening to music, or reading a book. Because playing a piece of physical media involves several steps, the process arguably forces engagement with a piece of content. In other words, a record playing on a turntable is less likely to become background noise than a Spotify playlist is.There’s a similar point along those lines that’s often overlooked: Physical media has a stopping point. When the record is over, yes, you can play another one, but that requires the intentional steps of selecting a new record, removing it from the sleeve, and placing it on the turntable. Similarly, when you’re done watching a movie on a DVD or Blu-ray disc, you have to switch to a new disc if you want to watch a new movie.This natural endpoint that physical media establishes can help you guard against constantly scrolling through content. Rather than turning media consumption into several hours of browsing and binging, it allows watching a movie, reading a book, or listening to music to be a discrete experience that doesn’t have to snowball into a time-waster.

We love physical media for many reasons

These are just a few examples of strengths physical media offers that might not get mentioned as frequently as others. If you’re a physical media advocate, you might have your own list.The point is, discussions of this topic often get repetitive. Plenty of consumers know they can probably get better picture quality from a 4K disc than a streaming version of a movie. What they might not consider is how physical media might bring them closer to others, or how it might change their media consumption habits for the better. These are the types of subtle benefits physical media offers that shouldn’t be ignored or dismissed.