DVDs Are Making A Comeback With Gen Z Collectors

Source: picture alliance / Getty

Gen Z is embracing nostalgia as they’re increasingly buying DVDs and making the outdated form of media popular again.

Much like with the resurgence of vinyl records, young people are craving physical media in a world where streaming services have taken over.

Largely driven by nostalgia, young collectors crave a connection to the past through various forms of entertainment. Many young people also feel that owning physical copies of media provide comfort and security amid concerns over streaming services losing content.

Julia Agostino, a 19-year-old who has amassed an extensive collection of DVDs and Blu-Rays, gave her reasons for why she enjoys collecting physical media.

“It’s about comfort,” Julia shared with The Boston Globe. “Rewatching them brings back memories, and no one can take them away from me.”

Julia and her mother, Kim, have since built a vast collection of about 5,000 movies and TV shows on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K Ultra HD.

‘I created a monster,’ her mother joked.

‘We do get teased a lot for our physical media because everybody thinks we’re dinosaurs.’

Gen Z has also started a trend of collecting cassette tapes. Sales of cassettes reached over 430,000 in the U.S. in 2023, five times more than a decade ago, as younger artists release music on this format.