By: Giada Merced
Did Coach bags brand just make reading and “going analog” a high-end podium thing?
Long-distance communication, or “social media,” has been a powerful tool we’ve used since the late 1800s. The telegraph was invented by Samuel Morse, even though he had no business inventing anything electrical; he was a portrait painter. But we should be glad he put down his paintbrush and laid the foundation for physical media like radio and television. Incidentally, that’s making a comeback as younger generations want slower, more intentional ways to connect with others and themselves.
People are starting to collect and creatively use physical media like record players, film cameras, and analog synthesizers, and even learn how to download music on iPods and CDs. By participating in these revivals, the avid media users who once spent more than 10 hours of screen time a day can step away and explore more about their creative, emotional, and nostalgic sides.
A visual
example of this is the new advertisement for the luxury bag brand Coach, which featured mini-book charms for its bags for the Spring 2026 season.
Coach partnered with Penguin Random House, a British-American multinational publishing company specializing in literature, to create miniature replicas of classic novels as bag charms. The publisher says on its website that this collaboration is “placing books at the center of a global fashion moment — uniting literature, culture, and design in a bold new way.” Even popular social media influencers like Caleb McLaughlin and Elle Fanning are showcasing their support of this trend. This collaboration between Coach and Penguin Random House uniquely blends fashion and literature, appealing to book lovers and trendsetters alike.
Some saw it as marketing literature for profit rather than a genuine celebration of reading. As this collection seems to focus on the style and trendiness, that aspect may
overshadow the actual content and importance of the literary works being represented. This argument between significance and presentation isn’t limited to fashion and literature. It also
represents a broader cultural shift in how we consume and interact with information itself. This change becomes even more obvious when we look at the evolution of social media.
Social media is the place where a single picture of a lonely monkey at the Ichikawa City Zoo in Japan became an overnight sensation. Resulting in what Complex magazine states as, ” Ichikawa City Zoo reportedly in Japan saw more than 11,000 visitors over two days after Punch-kun, a baby Japanese macaque, went viral online. ” That said, social media is the latest step in this evolution of technology. The Internet is now an essential tool for communication and information sharing. Most people think the first social media platforms were Facebook or even MySpace, but the first social media platform was called Six Degrees. Launched in 1997, it was the first online social media site, which was based on the “six degrees of separation” theory [theory states that any two people on Earth are connected through a chain of no more than six social acquaintances]. It allowed users to create profiles and add friends. It grew to 3.5 million users before shutting down in 2001 after YouthStream Media Networks acquired it in 1999. It was essentially
the starting point of social networking sites like LinkedIn (2002) and Facebook (2004). These social media platforms were ultimately made because of the concept of connecting people through mutual friends or acquaintances and set the stage for the rapid growth of platforms like “Instagram or ” TikTok.”
The revival of physical media and the rise of viral digital culture reveal a challenge we haven’t resolved. Which is the craving for authenticity, often consumed through trends. The evolution of media isn’t just about faster technology—it’s about choosing how we want to be seen, heard, and remembered. And right now, people are choosing to slow down, look back, and reconnect with
the parts of themselves that screens alone can’t hold. Which begs the question: Should we continue our immediate connection for the newest technology trend, or should we embrace a
more intentional and mindful approach?
