Much like the flip phone, digital cameras from the early 2000s are making a comeback, with search traffic for them rising on sites like eBay and Etsy and #digitalcamera hashtags gaining traction on TikTok.

Gen Z is turning to these retro gadgets in an effort to revive authenticity in their lives- a trend analysts describe as being linked to similar revivals of turn of the century fashion.

Bella Hadid is one celebrity who takes to Instagram to post her nightlife and travel pictures most of which have been lensed via digital cameras or polaroids.

EBay UK told the BBC the last three months of 2022 saw increases in people seeking the devices. They saw a 13% rise in search traffic for “vintage digital camera”, and a 52% rise for “refurbished camera”.

Etsy, which focuses on handmade and vintage items, has also seen a growing interest from shoppers in the last six months with more than 19,000 items linked to digital cameras listed online.

Even Polaroid, which filed for bankruptcy in 2001, is flourishing and was coined as the “hottest Gen Z gadget” by the New York Times’ in their latest feature.

“A lot of folk find them quite comforting. It reminds them of their childhood, it reminds them of simpler times,” said Scott Ewart, 32 from Scotland.

“I find it quite refreshing going back to something so simple. With older cameras you have to work with them a bit more, to get a good photo or to get the most out of them.

“It’s seen as more real and authentic. And that’s why we’re seeing this trend really play out, because the grainy kind of content you see is basically shorthand for authenticity and realness. That’s what Gen Z are looking for,” said Paul Greenwood, head of research and insight at the creative agency We Are Social.