The 2000s called. They want their digital camera back
There is a growing trend among Gen Z and millennials to return to using retro digital cameras, or 'digicams,' for a more nostalgic and authentic photography experience. Companies like Camp Snap and Canon have seen significant sales growth as consumers move away from smartphone-only photography.
Why it matters
Reflects a cultural shift in consumer behavior and a reaction against the ubiquity of smartphone technology.
A couple of years ago, as summer camps began to ban screens, a company called Camp Snap began to sell a screen-free camera that children could take along. The point-and-shoot had the vibes of a 1990s Kodak: just a viewfinder, a flash and no way to see the photos until the camera was hooked up to a computer.
What the company didn't see coming was the demand from adults.
"All of a sudden, out of nowhere, a lot of Gen Z, millennial demographic started buying them," says Camp Snap President Trevor George. "We realized very quickly that, OK, this is way beyond kids at summer camp."
Perhaps it was only a matter of time after the cool kids put on low-rise jeans like Britney Spears that photo trends would cycle around too. But they come also as a whiplash —against the era of the smartphone.
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