I love some improvements in technology, the evolution of how we navigate our world. Of course, there are some places where I draw the line.

One of those is streaming services. It’s not for a lack of trying, though.

Streaming services like Netflix came as an alternative to cable and satellite television years ago when the monthly prices for those services rose to obscene levels. It started out with on-demand viewing of your favorite movies, television shows and more for a fraction of the price of watching scheduled television. That was fine when it was just Netflix showing things that had already been produced.

Of course, then came the decision for streaming companies to produce their own content. These films would not be found in movie theaters. These series would rarely see the light of day on the television networks, unless it was the pilot episode appearing on the networks as a tease—or possibly torture—to encourage people to subscribe to their streaming service.

When it was just one or two companies providing streaming services, it was still affordable, if not always convenient. However, what started with Netflix begat Paramount Plus, Amazon Prime, HBOMax, Hulu, Disney Plus, YouTube Premium—the list goes on. Now, to watch all your favorite distractions from reality, you have to subscribe to multiple platforms.

With individual streaming subscriptions increasing annually, it’s reached the point where someone’s subscriptions to a bunch of services has become more expensive than the individual cable or satellite television subscriptions. I marvel at the irony.

However, there might be indications that the good old days are here again.

The other morning, I was tuned into the CBS morning show when a report caught my eye about how Generation Z might be turning back the clock when it comes to how we consume our entertainment. The report focused on a place called Night Owl Video in Brooklyn, New York, where DVDs and even VHS tapes are making a comeback as a counterpunch to the takeover of streaming services.

In its first year, Night Owl sold over 30,000 tapes and discs, according to the report. An interesting side effect is the business also promotes community, coming together with our fellow humans and striking up conversations about what to watch or what to buy. Considering the trend of people distancing from others through texting, Zoom calls and other newfangled forms of communication, that’s really saying something.

The odd timing of this report coming out is that, a couple of days before, I was doomscrolling on Facebook and came across an announcement that “Kill Bill: The Whole Bloody Affair,” which combines the two “Kill Bill” films, was coming out on VHS.

I was baffled. Why would a new film go to VHS, a system that was popular in the 1980s and 1990s? While VHS was the go-to setup then, it was replaced by DVDs, which were deemed a sturdier and safer option to tapes that could wear out in 15 or 20 years—less if you watched the tapes over and over and over and over again.

Of course, we’ve seen the trend in the realm of music, as well. In an age, where most o the songs we listen to are online through subscription services, more and more artists are releasing albums on vinyl records, a medium whose heyday seemed to be far behind us.

As for me, I’m a DVD person through and through. I like the idea of paying one price for a movie or television series and then sitting down to watch them on my own time without having to flip through a digital menu and putting in a password. The few times I’ve watched something on a streaming service, it’s been disappointing not to see it later come out on DVD. It’s the same for films, which are now going to streaming services first.

At this rate, I see the streaming services imploding on themselves. Humans are creatures of convenience who like to have ownership of what they watch for entertainment. That trend is rearing its head again, and I’m just eager to sit back with my popcorn and let it happen.

I’m hoping this trend becomes more than a fad, though. A system set up to be a cheaper and convenient alternative has turned its back on both counts. Rather than wait for the entertainment industries to give us what we want, it’s time to take the wheel and demand they conform to us instead of us waiting by the door like faithful dogs and wait for them to deliver.

In the meantime, I’m going to grab a DVD off the shelves to entertain myself.