We think of 3D films as a modern phenomenon, but more of them were released in 1953 than in any year since. Alfred Hitchcock was among the many high profile directors who jumped on the bandwagon. Unfortunately, a combination of uncomfortable glasses and bad films caused a rapid decline in production soon after – that is, until Avatar restarted the hype all over again in 2009.
When history rhymes
Nothing is ever as new as we think.
In 2009, Jeff Bezos said that “advertising is the price you pay for having an unremarkable product.” Now Amazon are advertising their own advertising business, which earns $50 billion annually.
The coffee craze is nothing new. In 1739, there were three times more coffee shops per person in London than there are today.
Dating apps have come full circle. Their latest offer is in person meet ups.
The 2019 Nissan Dynamo was the first fully electric cab in London… since 1897, when Walter Bersey launched his fleet of battery powered taxis. Unfortunately, the weight of the batteries caused a significant amount of wear and tear on the tyres and the fleet was withdrawn within two years.
Gin has become increasingly fashionable in the UK, but we’ve been here before: during the ‘gin craze’ of the 1700s the average person was drinking 10 litres of gin each year (vs 2 today), and consumption became so rife that Parliament passed several laws to reduce it.
Millennials are the “me me me” generation, just like every other one.
By the time of Monty Python’s 25th anniversary, author George Perry wrote that “the five surviving members had with the passing years begun to occupy an institutional position in the edifice of British social culture that they had once had so much fun trying to demolish.”
Most people think moral values are getting worse. But archival data shows we’ve been thinking that for over 70 years. Plus, there is no evidence that morality is in fact declining (e.g. in terms of how helpful and respectful we are to each other).
Netflix now charges £4.99 a month for weekly shows with ad breaks. Sound familiar?
It’s a tale as old as time.
The Sidemen channel recently released an eight part ‘Big Brother’ style YouTube series, which gained over 10 million views (more than the Prime Minister debate and Love Island combined). TV in disguise.
It set out to destroy newspapers. “We will wait every local paper out and let them continuously bleed until we are the last ones standing,” said founder Alex Mather in 2017. Then, in 2022, it became one. The New York Times acquired it, promising unparalleled reach and greater user retention.
TikTok has started to upload full episodes of TV shows. The pilot of Killing it, a new comedy show, racked up 4.5M views in 3 days. Is this TV in disguise?
After smartphones were meant to kill off cameras, the Xiaomi 15 is bringing them back. It allows you to attach lenses and shutter buttons, giving reviving the old-fashioned point-and-shoot feel.