Nerd Talk: The power of nostalgia
Posted on March 30, 2017 by Maple Creek
By Megan Roth
Hey, do you remember when…
I loved that one show…
This was my childhood…
Nostalgia is an ever present part of life in today’s world.
It isn’t so much “remember the good ‘ol days” as re-experiencing something.
For the ever hated millennial generation – though why they are hated is another column all together – nostalgia is more than just a sometimes experience.
The millennial generation, of which I am a member, actively seek out the feeling of nostalgia.
It is like our current lives and the way of the world is too much so we revert back to a time that we remember as being perfect in some way. More often than not ,that happy time is from childhood.
It is very common for millennials to watch old cartoons such as “Rugrats”, “Gargoyles” or “Darkwing Duck”. I’ve only chosen a few but trust me there are many, many more options to choose from.
It isn’t just watching old cartoons though, it can be found in actions.
I’ll give you an example.
A few weeks ago I spent an entire day off reveling in nostalgia. I bought crazy, curly straws – through which I drank chocolate milk – I watched cartoons and took my time colouring in a colouring book.
I am very proud of the time I took to, let’s say, reconnect with my inner child.
However, this isn’t a once and a while act for myself. I search out nostalgia actively. This is true for most millennials, though some may not admit to it.
Another example of my active search for childhood happiness, when I’m very much an adult person, was a few years ago.
On New Year’s Eve instead of going out to party the night away, as is common for that night in particular, I chose to stay home.
That isn’t too unusual, it is what I did while home.
I took the entire day building the “best blanket fort ever” in my basement.
It was an all-day event where I took blankets and bolts of fabric to build a fort that actually took up an entire room.
I’m still incredibly proud of how I spent my day.
That night I celebrated the new year by watching cartoons and marathoning the Harry Potter movies.
The thing about millennials and our continued search for nostalgia is well known to marketers.
Ever wonder why there are so many remakes and reboots hitting both the silver and small screen in recent years?
You can thank me, and my generation.
Marketers are very much aware of the millennials search and are more than happy to give it to them.
“Power Rangers” recently hit theatres, and you can bet I was there – opening night actually.
I loved the movie, of course I did. I loved the series when I was a child and watching the movie brought back fond memories.
I cheered, I laughed and I even sang along to the theme song during the movie. There was even a group of people about my age who gave a standing ovation to a character when he said his, usually annoying, catch phrase.
Walking out of the movie I am sure I had a glow about me as I relived the movie, as one does, with the friends who came with me.
It wasn’t until later – much later when the glow had left – that I realized something.
They got me.
They knew me and my generation well enough to know I would spend my hard earned money on a movie based around a beloved franchise from my childhood.
Marketers and producers got me, they know how to use the chase for nostalgia to benefit them.
You know what? I don’t really mind.
I think that is something that set millennials apart. We know nostalgia is being used against us, however we don’t care as long as we get our loved nostalgia.
Thanks to the millennials well known secret, we will get to find nostalgia again and again.
Already we have had remakes and reboots of “Star Wars”, “Cinderella”, “Star Trek”, “Beauty and the Beast”, “DuckTales”, and even “Boy Meets World”.
The producers may say they are trying to introduce the show or movie to a new generation, but we really know what they are doing.
We know who their real target audience is.
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