Feb 16, 2024 - Business
The humble landline phone beloved by Gen Z
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Illustration: Allie Carl/Axios
Some in Gen Z think the corded phone has a nice ring to it.
Why it matters: The sweet nostalgia for retro communication is an antidote to notification fatigue and loneliness.
- Some young people have purchased old-school phones seeking reminders of "a simpler, pre-digital era," the Guardian reported.
- That goes for whether the phone is actually plugged in, or simply functions as vintage decor.
State of play: Etsy, eBay and other specialty shops are stocked with landline phones.
- Meanwhile, major retailers like Urban Outfitters, Best Buy and Target are selling new ones looking straight out of "The Brady Bunch."
Zoom out: Gen Z has embraced other technology from their childhoods — or from before they were born.
- CDs and vinyl records have seen a renaissance — with the latter even prompting challenges in the production of records.
- Pre-iPhone photography is back, in the form of film and digital cameras. (See the buzzy new app Lapse.)
- Flip phones are seeing a resurgence because they're free of the feed.
Reality check: Most Americans aren't using landlines, and companies don't really want them to either.
- 70% of adults and 81% of children lived in households without a landline phone in 2022, according to the CDC.
- Providers globally are phasing out analog signals in favor of digital-friendly fiber optic cables and wireless tech, CNN reported.
Go deeper: CDs are making a comeback thanks to Gen Z
