Life: Now with MORE nostalgia!
Nostalgia in society is a fascinating topic. It’s an emotion that evokes a feeling of longing for the past, often associated with happy memories. Once upon a time, I said if I could figure out how to bottle and sell nostalgia, I’d be rich. I really had no idea how right I was, and no idea how to benefit from the concept in any shape or form.
The concept of nostalgia in marketing isn’t new, but I can’t shake the notion it is more prevalent. Fashion, food, entertainment and a huge swath of companies are finding new ways to leverage this trend to reach their target audience. Experts say it taps into our collective sense of shared history and can be used to evoke strong emotions in people. By god, do we humans love emotions.
Are we having a nostalgia boom?
I’m not that different from the Me of 25 years ago. I love rewatching all my favorite media. My friends and I are 100% guilty of being “quote bros” constantly referring to lines from movies and TV. However, it’s hard to ignore the fact that sharing these memories has become insanely easier with social media, and connecting with hundreds or thousands of others with similar tastes is only a few clicks and keystrokes away. Fire, meet Gas.
This kind of nostalgia in society allows people to relive their experiences with friends and family on social platforms, and think about how those memories shape their present lives. Furthermore, connecting through shared experiences lets us explore our own personal histories and reflect on how our current views and beliefs are shaped from those experiences.
That just got a little deep, didn’t it? Damn you, nostalgia!!! We can probably take it deeper and use it as a tool to examine our own relationships, culture and society as a whole. That feels too heavy for my tastes; I’d rather stick to dropping random quotes on people and wait to see their face light up when they recognize a shared connection to something we both find obscure, but fascinating.
It’s a low-risk method for throwing out a connection lifeline with a new acquaintance. We can use these simple quips to gain greater insight into what drives them and what they value most, ultimately determining, “Did we just become best friends?” or nah. Ultimately, we’re trying to create meaningful experiences for ourselves and others.
So do I embrace it, or do I reject it?
Yes I waver back and forth in my own one-man rantings about nostalgia in society. Industries like Hollywood weaponizing it to force-feed our childhoods back in the form of blockbuster movie franchises and other products feels kinda gross. Almost anything can be used for the powers of good or evil, but at the core of it all, I still watch the same movies over and over. My Spotify is a 50-50 mix of shit I listened to in high school, and new stuff that I can’t wait to listen to fondly 20 years from now.
So yeah, you could say I’m a slutty little boy for nostalgia. If I’m sick, hungover, or just feeling shitty in general, I’ll turn on Ghostbusters, The Big Lebowski, Fight Club, or any number of 80’s/90’s/00’s movies. Maybe I’ll take a mental health day to go on one of my weed-fueled 12-14 hour fuckabouts watching the entire Lethal Weapon series (Always Sunny installments not included) or the original Matrix trilogy.
That’s comforting to me. Not a bowl of soup, starchy fried foods, or hot tea. The Goonies, Saul Goodman, Ace Ventura – these shows, movies, and characters wrap me in the warm cocoon of coziness (possibly with an actual blanket cocoon) and transport me to whatever time/place/feels I want to be. Even writing these words give me a warm glow, so please excuse me while I get my veins popping and go full Trainspotting on some movies and TV for a bit.
