Yes, I still use Backup Drives for files. Not regularly, but every now and then, I get a random thought – “Oh, I should back that up”.
Setting up a new computer, I back up to the cloud, but also to a local drive… because hey… local drives have never failed, right (they have)?
Someone younger than me who never used external drives probably doesn’t use them, but for my generation, going from 1.44 MB to 1 TB in your hand was power incarnate and always gave you that security blanket of – “if something goes wrong I still have it”.
I’m not sure if that matters anymore; now it’s probably just a habit.
Just like many other things that are random habits that we do, because we did them, at some point in life.