The French philosopher Baudrillard mentioned in "Consumer Society": "In the consumer society, people buy commodities not only simply to obtain their use functions, but also to pursue more symbolic values attached to commodities. The broadcast of the TV series "Flowers" made Huanghe Road, a famous food street in Shanghai, "red". In the play, "Stealing Hearts" and "Looking Back" and other golden songs in the 90s of the 20th century quickly topped the list of major platforms. The nostalgia is ignited, not to mention a drama. In the past two years, culture full of nostalgic elements has always been able to quickly attract attention and go out of the circle. Nostalgia has become an economic phenomenon, permeating daily life and consumption, and people are happy to pay for memories and old things.
Cultural nostalgia has existed since ancient times, and this experience has been immersed in the long river of ancient and modern China and foreign countries, and is reflected in the Western Bible and the Homeric epics of ancient Greece; In ancient China, nostalgia also frequently appeared in poems and songs, such as the description of Ban Gu in the Western Han Dynasty in the Western Capital Fu.
The torrent of the times is rolling forward, and in the snap of a finger, the memories of childhood and youth have gradually faded away. The main reason why the wave of nostalgia can cause collective carnival and resonance in cyberspace is that nostalgia culture selectively beautifies and embellishes the past when reconstructing it, and conveys an amplified sense of happiness. In the present, whether it is a retro scene full of era atmosphere or a unique vintage object, it is possible that at some point it will be rediscovered and become a hot topic of the moment. How to tap the emotional value of nostalgia in the commercial economy is also a dimension worthy of cultural creativity, which provides a new perspective and direction for the era of homogenization of commodity consumption.
Later, as a part of the main user group of China's Internet, these young people are more in pursuit of value-added consumption, and nostalgia has such a cultural function. The platform smelled the psychology of young people willing to pay for nostalgia, and saw the huge traffic and economic effect behind it, so the "nostalgic marketing" launched for young people emerged in an endless stream while shouting "Ye Qinghui" and "memory killing", while also contributing to the real "money ability", and the nostalgic economy quietly rose. Nostalgia is starting to get younger. When the Mesozoic generation indulged in childhood snacks and cultural and creative products, the new generation of "post-00s" also began to be nostalgic, and the CCD camera craze and Y2K craze arose.
Nostalgia can reduce loneliness, boredom, and anxiety, and help intergenerational groups recall people and moments that are important to the shared experience, leading to a sense of security and belonging. It embodies a sense of presence in life, convinces intergenerational groups of their personal worth, and makes life manifest a sense of meaning. The motivation for cultural nostalgia can be interpreted from the following reflections:
First of all, it is the sustenance of intergenerational group feelings. Nostalgia is an emotional sustenance that allows people to reminisce about the good old days and relive the things that once gave them joy and warmth. Especially in the face of real-life stresses and challenges, nostalgia becomes an emotional haven.
Secondly, it is the construction of intergenerational group self-identity. Nostalgia can help post-generations construct their own identity. By revisiting the cultural products, fashion styles, and social styles of the past, they find a sense of resonance with their own youth in the process of nostalgia, which in turn strengthens their sense of identity.
The third is the reflection on the social changes of intergenerational groups. Nostalgia is also a reflection on social change, and the nostalgia is not only a memory of personal memory, but also a reflection of social change. They look back on the past through nostalgia, think about the present and the future direction of development, and have unique observations and thoughts on the progress and loss of society.
The nostalgia of the post-generation population is not simply the pursuit of the past, but the search for emotional sustenance, self-identity and social reflection in this rapidly changing society. Nostalgia is a continuation of cultural memory and a review of personal and social journeys. In nostalgia, the posterior crowd not only found emotional support, but also strengthened their confidence in the future and the motivation to move forward.
According to Bu Xiting of Communication University of China, nostalgia reflects an emotional sustenance for a stable and familiar era in the past. Cultural nostalgia is related to memes, which are the basic units of culture that are passed down through imitation and transmission. Memes are future-oriented cultural creativity factors, which spread, reproduce, and mutate among people through various social networks like genes. Cultural nostalgia can be seen as a meme because it is passed down by mimicking and transmitting cultural elements of the past. Cultural nostalgia has become a memetic way to relive the good times of the time. Cultural nostalgia is manifested as the "cultural roots" and "collective memories" of intergenerational groups, and also reflects a deeper historical construction, and nostalgia will also become a popular social trend in a specific historical period. Nostalgic culture has never been a single cultural phenomenon, but the pursuit of popular culture refined under the comprehensive effect of various industries, and it is the "demand consumption" of memory symbols.
From: Immersion City.