Covid has forced physical settings to adapt to alternative digital spaces – exhibitions have been displayed online, gyms have opened digital doors and even music festivals have been held virtually. Yet despite digitised experiences taking an ever-increasing presence in our lives, the pandemic looks to have instigated a cultural sea change in the way we value physical objects and experiences – with data by Onepoll revealing that during lockdown, Brits have put up more pictures in frames than ever before.

Last year saw physical book sales across the UK boom and vinyl sales around the world surge to a popularity not matched in the last three decades, indicating that preference for the convenience of digital formats may be giving way to a nostalgia for the preciousness of physical objects. Further to this, data also reveals that 50% of Brits now appreciate physical objects over digital, with 47% of Brits revealing that physical photos have been the biggest help during lonely or tough times.

As Brits appear to be paving the way for a return to a preference for the physical on a widespread scale PastBook – the leading photo tech company – transform our digital memories into tangible books. PastBook, turn photos into high-quality, personalised printed photo books (and more) through innovative technology – in seconds. Recognising the positive memory that can be associated with our captured moments, PastBook turn the digital world into a physical reality creating image-based memoirs which preserve moments in time.

Wouter Staatsen, CEO of PastBook discusses:

“In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the physical space has been completely reimagined. Yet as we adapt to virtual spaces and digitised experiences, it is important to recognise the value that physical objects, experiences and spaces have on keeping Brits connected. For many of us, see physical objects as an extension of ourselves, hence why we have seen a dramatic resurgence in the nation printing physical photographs.

Physical prints make photographs more fulfilling as they become tangible and alive. At PastBook, we create well-curated, stylistic logs of Brits social accounts and turn them into image-based memoirs – preserved forever. As such, we can now all rediscover the nostalgia that a physical photo can bring.”