Nostalgia

 

We all have the commercials we remember seeing on tv when we were younger. The jingles that stick in our minds, the catchphrases we can quote to this day, and the products that our parents never let us call the 1-800 number to buy.

Nostalgia is a major factor when creating content. To quote Jenkins, Ford, and Green:

“…commonly spread content has an explicitly nostalgic tone.”

Think about all of the versions of song covers or music videos made. Fans find that sense of reminiscing on the past to bring back memories of good times in their lives. Think about the “Remember Theeeese??” posts that we all see on Facebook and Twitter. All of the shows from Nickelodeon, Cartoon Network, and Disney Channel that pop up in our feeds to remind us of the twenty year anniversary of it’s first episode. It brings us back to a simpler time when no one was stressing about work or bills. Rob Sheffield mentions the impact of nostalgia when he says,

“It does a better job of storing up memories than actual brain tissue can do.”

When media carries pleasant memories, it makes us more likely to share it with others in hopes that they’ll have the same reaction as well. Nostalgia is one of the main factors that can flourish in spreadable media.