This month, the last VHS tape will be made. The only company that still creates them is ceasing production due to a lack of demand. I can still remember the whirring sound they make as they rewind from my childhood. A child today would likely be baffled by the sight of a VHS tape.
The Telegraph has put together an amusing slideshow of old technologies, including the VHS tape, that most of today’s youth have never seen or used. Whether it takes you on a stroll down memory lane or you’re too young to remember any of the items featured, it’s worth a look.
The fading of an old technology can provoke nostalgia, just as the entrance of a new technology may incite unnecessary fear or hysteria. But it’s hard to argue that the constant upending of older technologies by newer ones doesn’t ultimately enrich humanity. In many ways, an average American today is richer than John D. Rockefeller was in 1916.
VHS tapes may bring back pleasant memories, but I would never want to go back to a time before it was possible to stream movies on Netflix and access YouTube’s vast library of videos with a click. Speaking of YouTube, take a moment to check out our playlist—no VHS player necessary!