In a time of instant trends and endless content, people find themselves craving for the digital media of the past. The nostalgia surrounding the so called ‘good old days’, when things supposedly felt simpler, is becoming increasingly apparent. There has been this need to escape an algorithmic environment that intertwines AI generated ads so casually, and where commercialised content and advertising has become almost indistinguishable. The resurgence is perhaps reflecting an appreciation for older technology, or a growing reluctancy for technological advancements alongside heightened consumerism.
From Adidas Samba’s to the return of low-rise jeans, trends seem to recycle themselves. But is it simply popular again because people miss these styles, or does it indicate wider dissatisfaction with modern culture? I think the resurgence for digital cameras, print magazines and old CDs suggests there’s a deeper reason.
I think one reason for this newfound attachment to digital media is that many young people reminisce about their early childhood, remembering the popularity of Disney Channel and CBBC, for example, or flicking through the physical Argos catalogue. People feel nostalgic for experiences that preserved community and required purposeful action in finding shows or music that satisfied them, rather than today’s algorithm-driven platforms like TikTok and Netflix. Entertainment once involved a greater sense of discovery that necessitated an element of personal effort.
Another explanation is a psychological phenomenon called vicarious nostalgia, or borrowed nostalgia, in which people feel they miss an era or experience even though they never lived through it. A reported 2026 Archbridge Institute study found 68% Of Gen Z experience nostalgia for times that predate their own memories.
But why is this happening now?
Why do we feel like we miss the 90s or early 2000s even though most of us can’t remember them or weren’t even born? Social media has increasingly curated its algorithms around the relentless pursuit of chasing trends, endless subscriptions and forcible advertising, leaving us burnt out and seeking an escape. It’s an endless cycle competing for our attention, so we retreat to nostalgic things like digital media. We find an old digital camera and want that aesthetic picture that mimics our parents’ experiences or memories. Maybe because they have been so heavily romanticised or idealised, but either way, we attempt to escape our current media.
But how effective is this coping mechanism? Some would say retreating to digital media offers a sense of stability and ownership; with content always shifting or being cancelled, owning a physical copy that cannot be de-platformed offers permanence. A book cannot suddenly disappear from your shelf. I think this mostly links with identity exploration because a visible collection is self-expression that almost feels more real. Rather than the endless doom-scrolling, which, despite being curated based on what we consume and engage with, collections of CDs, DVDs or even books incorporate a relationship with media that doesn’t depend on staying online.
Perhaps what we miss the most, or think we miss, is the intentionality of digital media. The deliberate action of placing a disc or choosing a film from Blockbuster honestly felt better and more rewarding. Even some research such as the 2025 Journal of Consumer Research study suggests that nostalgic content triggers a higher emotional response. People want to communicate their identity in less polished but more sentimental ways that hold way more value.
The resurgence of older media tells us that the youth, us, crave physical attachments despite being surrounded by more content than ever and yet it does not mean we are more satisfied with what we consume. This might feel overstated, but nostalgia- whether it is accurate is not the question, but rather the reasoning behind it. We are simply looking for meaning in what we consume, and it reflects past trends but also just gives more happiness for some who use it as a coping mechanism or simply enjoy the styles.