The Last Video Rental Store Is Your Public Library

Netflix, Prime Video, Disney, Hulu, HBO, countless streaming platforms, countless subscriptions to pay for, figures to keep track of, and, at the end of the day, none of the content you consume is really yours. What are you paying for? An “increasingly cheaper” subscription, but advertisements are increasing more and more, quality is decreasing, the number of devices included is decreasing, and content disappears faster than it takes to finish watching it.

Following the huge trend that emerged from the rise of streaming services, which has lasted several years and is becoming increasingly widespread, a sort of rebellion movement seems to have recently emerged, a response to yet another attempt to control users, perpetrated by companies and corporations that have become more powerful than they ever should have been. The new hope lies in a single activity: collecting physical media.

If you own the DVD, CD or original book, no faceless antagonist can ever take it away from you, just like that, on a simple Tuesday afternoon. Public libraries are, in fact, following in the footsteps of video rental shops, the famous “Blockbuster” stores that characterised the end of the last millennium, becoming trusted suppliers for anyone interested in building their own collection, free from price increases and advertising.