Ownership
It’s funny how the perspective on ownership has shifted in the last 20 years. My perspective, anyway.
From Spotify to Netflix, we had been sold the idea that we don’t need to buy movies or music anymore, we can just stream or borrow them. We don’t need the clutter of discs or DVD cases. Full access to millions of movies and songs for less than the price of takeout.
In 2013 I digitized my DVD collection and sold them, eager for my digital future where the clutter of physical media was no longer necessary.
Oh, how I wish I could go back.
The rebuilding of my collection has been slow, but fulfilling. We cut back from four streaming services to one. Our blu-ray collection is slowly growing. I trimmed down my playlists and started identifying which artists I want to invest in, and then buying their music.
There’s a lot of power in ownership. It feels good to know that I always have access to my favorite TV show, and that it won’t disappear one day because of licensing. My favorite books are always within arms reach. My favorite album won’t vanish because an artist left my streaming platform. And when I’m ready to let go of any of those things, I have the freedom to sell them or give them away. Not something I can do with ebooks or streamed music.
What do you own in your life?