Source: Yanko Design
The resurgence of intentional, friction-laden music consumption reveals a deeper consumer fatigue with algorithmic convenience—what looks like nostalgia for CD players is actually demand for *agency* and *narrative* in an attention economy that’s trained us to be passive. This signals a broader willingness to trade seamlessness for meaning, suggesting that post-pandemic consumers are increasingly skeptical of frictionless experiences and hungry for products that force genuine engagement rather than optimize for time-on-platform.