Some in Gen Z think the corded phone has a nice ring to it.

Why it matters: The sweet nostalgia for retro communication is an antidote to notification fatigue and loneliness.

• Some young people have purchased old-school phones seeking reminders of "a simpler, pre-digital era," the Guardian reported.
• That goes for whether the phone is actually plugged in, or simply functions as vintage decor.

State of play: Etsy, eBay and other specialty shops are stocked with landline phones.

• Meanwhile, major retailers like Urban Outfitters, Best Buy and Target are selling new ones looking straight out of "The Brady Bunch."

Zoom out: Gen Z has embraced other technology from their childhoods — or from before they were born.

• CDs and vinyl records have seen a renaissance — with the latter even prompting challenges in the production of records.
• Pre-iPhone photography is back, in the form of film and digital cameras. (See the buzzy new app Lapse.)
• Flip phones are seeing a resurgence because they're free of the feed.

Reality check: Most Americans aren't using landlines, and companies don't really want them to either.

• 70% of adults and 81% of children lived in households without a landline phone in 2022, according to the CDC.
• Providers globally are phasing out analog signals in favor of digital-friendly fiber optic cables and wireless tech, CNN reported.

Go deeper: CDs are making a comeback thanks to Gen Z