Going back in time!
A look at some of the trends that have made a comeback in today's day and age
Technology today is advancing at a breakneck speed and it's really difficult to keep up with the innovation that we see around us every single day. Devices that you used just a couple of years ago are now considered obsolete. The laws of physics are being challenged. But let's take a step back. While everything is moving ahead, there are some aspects where we have been inspired heavily by times long gone. Let's have a look at some of these.
The fingerprint
Before signatures existed, the fingerprint was considered the ultimate form of identity to approve or 'sign off' any legal document. All you had to do was stick your thumb on a stamp pad and place it on a piece of paper you want to approve or authorize. As literacy improved and people learned to read and write, humans started using their signature - a unique combination of your name and surname or your initials, in your own handwriting, which would be difficult to replicate by someone else. Then came digital signatures - at a click of a button you could sign off documents directly on your mobile device, without printing a single piece of paper.
But a digital signature still had to be obtained with a cumbersome online application. What if we could use something that we already have to digitally sign documents? Wait, what did you say? Fingerprints? Well, yeah.
Almost every mobile device launched today has a fingerprint scanner in some shape or form which can be used to unlock your phone, sign in to your banking apps, order your coffee, make payments and sign off on documents. Your stick your thumb on to your phone, just like the old days, only with the added advantages of not soiling your fingers with ink. Will signatures be obsolete someday? Maybe.
Vinyl records
Remember the good old vinyl records? You may have seen them in the movies, if not at home. Listening to the Beatles or Pink Floyd on a record player, with a glass of fine whiskey to keep company - the stuff of dreams if you ask someone from that day and age. These purists would later scoff when audio cassettes flooded the market, which were then replaced by audio CDs and MP3s. All hell broke loose when Steve Jobs introduced the iPod in 2001 with the promise of a '1000 songs in your pocket'.
Cut to 2020 and guess what? Vinyl record sales in the US have beaten CDs sales for the first time in 34 years. People have spent more than $200mn buying music records - and that too in just the first half of the year.
Music streaming still dominates the music industry today. Can the warmth of old-school songs challenge the era of digitally compressed music? We can only wait and watch.
Tattoos
Tattoos have apparently been around since 3000 BC. But I'm talking about the Indian practice of 'godna'. It was common practice to tattoo people with a unique symbol or the name of the person for easy identification. Godna is also a common tradition in several communities and tribes across India, where the tattoos are much larger and more extravagant than just a name or symbol.
As people moved to cities in search of work and a better standard of living, customs and traditions took a backseat and the practice of godna faded away. Enter Generation X and the tattoos were back. Celebrities showed off humungous tattoos over their chest, backs and biceps and their followers soon caught on. From English to Sanskrit, animals to human faces, important dates to hard-hitting phrases - tattoos took the world by storm. Everyone had one. The ones who didn't, wanted one. There are also talks of digital tattoos that will help track your vital health stats. Will everyone sport a tattoo someday? Maybe.
Emojis
Languages were developed for humans to express their thoughts and feelings and communicate with each other. Letters and numbers form the script of most languages and that's what we have been learning at school for the last so many years. But ages ago, when written and spoken communication was not so common, thoughts were expressed through art. Primarily, cave art. Prehistoric humans used the walls of the caves in which they lived, to draw simple drawings of the things around them to communicate with each other. Thousands of years later, we don't live in caves anymore. But a new form of communication has developed which you could argue has taken inspiration from cave art - emojis. They are quick. They are fun. And they are universal. Someone who doesn't understand your language would still be able to understand your feelings from the emojis you share.
Will emojis be the norm? Will words and letters cease to exist? Not for the next century, probably. But beyond that, who knows?
The man-bun and the beard
Have one look at Lord Shiva. Almost all the images representing him show him with his hair tied up in what we today call the 'man-bun'. The beard though was very popular globally. Greek philosopher Aristotle, German philosopher Friedrich Engels, Austrian composer Johann Strauss, Emperor Meiji of Japan, English cricketer W. G. Grace and the father of evolution, Charles Darwin, all sported extravagant beards. This was before being clean-shaven became the norm, especially in a formal office environment.
The last few years have seen the beard make a comeback. From an evening stubble to a full-grown bush, men these days pay particular attention to their beards, with special beard care products being advertised by the dozen. But we haven't stopped at that. The man-bun is back as well. Several celebrities have started sporting one and while opinion is divided on how it looks, the time and effort taken by men who sport one is commendable.
How about a beard AND a man-bun? Let me leave you with a picture of Jason Momoa and you can judge for yourselves.
What other trends do you think have made a comeback?
Mechanical keyboards over compact laptop keyboards?
Physical books over their Kindle versions? Almost every Zoom call these days has people with a shelf of books in their background.
Do let me know in the comments section. Until next weekend, ciao!
Subscribe to get a new Telang Thought every week, straight to your inbox.
Eco friendly way of living has to make a come back in a big way, in lines the way our ancestors did!
That's the need of the hour!!
Very insightful!