What happens when state-of-the-art technology becomes commonplace? Its predecessor becomes “cool” again.

I was in Urban Outfitters today, one of many stores I visited in search of a new belt (eventually found at Target). While there, I spotted an unusual display filled with imported cameras. It was stocked with film cameras.

A few years ago, the hot items in the camera world were all digital. Everyone sought out the one with the most megapixels or biggest LCD screen. But now everyone almost always carries a high-quality camera, thanks to smart phones. And when everyone is used to something, it loses its “cool” factor. That’s when retro technology steps in.

It appears that the cool kids now look to film as something that existed before their time; it’s something to experiment with. I watched as an 11 or 12 year old girl told her mom how “cool” these film cameras are. Next to them are racks of 8mm and 35mm film.

It’s all happened before. CDs, and now MP3s, are the most common method of obtaining music, so kids turn to vinyl records as something “new,” even if it’s really generations old. Radio broadcasts are back in the form of podcasts. 1980s video games are resold as downloads on today’s “next-gen” consoles. If decades-old fashions can return (just look at the abundance of fedoras in stores and on celebrities’ heads), why not old technology too?

Of course, film is a bit different. It still needs to be developed and I’m not sure kids who grew up on high-speed Internet connections are willing to wait for that. But I suppose that’s why iPhone apps like instagram are popular, offering that retro look without the retro speed.