General News
6 October, 2024
Why more young people are finding comfort in old things
Nostalgia is more about the present than you might think.
If you've ever caught yourself longing for a simpler time when it was all about yo-yos and cassette tapes, you're not alone.
A wave of nostalgia is sweeping through, and it's more than just a passing trend - it's a reaction to the dizzying pace of change that defines modern life.
We've entered an era where technology is moving faster than we can fully embrace it.
The rise of artificial intelligence and the relentless pressure to always be on have created a pervasive sense of overwhelm.
We swipe, scroll, and stream through life, bombarded by information, expectations, and the constant noise of notifications.
It's no wonder, then, that a whole lot of us are retreating into the comforting embrace of analog and simpler times.
Nostalgia culture is like our collective sigh of relief, a pause button for our overstimulated brains. We crave tangible, slower experiences that ground us in a world that often feels untethered. When everything can be downloaded, streamed, or is stored "up in the cloud," holding something tangible - a record, a magazine, or even a photograph - feels strangely radical.
In a recent study by ThinkerTank, in which we surveyed over 1000 people, we found that nearly two-thirds (64 per cent) of Australians want to spend less time online in 2025.
And it turns out it's not older Aussies but actually younger generations who are looking to buck the trend, with Gen Z and Millennials far more keen to pull back than Gen X and Baby Boomers.
One example in which they're already trying to do this is with "dumb phones", which are basically mobile phones that only allow basic functions like calls and texts.
Think your old Nokia 3315 where the only exciting thing about it was playing Snake.
These minimalist devices are for those who crave the idea of being disconnected as a form of luxury. It's a small but profound act of rebellion against the relentless march of technological progress.
Nostalgia culture is also influencing how we design our home. The "smart home" revolution, with its Alexa-controlled lights and app-connected fridges, will also be counterbalanced by a different kind of luxury-tech-free rooms.
These spaces, devoid of screens, Wi-Fi, and gadgets will become popular as more and more people look to create boundaries between work, entertainment, and rest - something that's increasingly difficult in the always-connected age of remote work and constant content consumption.
The rise of vintage fashion is another example. Thrifting and wearing clothes from past decades has moved from niche subcultures to mainstream fashion. It's as if wearing something from the past allows us to symbolically step back into a world that feels slower, more deliberate. We could also see a resurgence of other analog forms, like board games and handwritten letters. With time, this rejection of the always-on, always-updating world might become more institutionalised - schools or workplaces could implement tech- free zones or hours.
Ultimately, the rise of nostalgia culture could be seen as society's attempt to recalibrate.
We're not rejecting progress, but rather looking for balance. This is a psychological response to change.
Studies show that nostalgia is triggered by feelings of anxiety, stress, and uncertainty, and serves as a coping mechanism to make sense of the present.
We want the best of both worlds - the innovation of the future and the simplicity of the past.
The question we must ask is whether we can integrate the two in a way that serves our wellbeing, or whether we'll always be swinging between extremes.
In the end, nostalgia is less about where we've been and more about what we're missing in the here and now. And as we march toward the future, perhaps it's the past that will help guide us through.
Dr Ben Hamer is a futurist, exploring the trends shaping our future.