Gen Zers have a bit of a nostalgia addiction. From our clothes to our music, many of the trendiest fads today are an iteration of something from the past. When did we all trade in our AirPods for wired headphones and buy a vintage digital camera?Â
One possible theory links this modern trend to the internet. The web is essentially a digital library of every song, magazine, film, television series, and fashion trend — ever! It can only be expected that younger generations are going to discover (and embrace) art and trends from their parents’ or even grandparents’ generations.
According to a study by Luminate U.S. Music 360, U.S. consumers between the ages of 13-24 are increasingly listening to music from the 1990s and earlier. The Telegraph reported that bands like Fleetwood Mac, The Smiths, and Nirvana dominate streaming platform charts, even if they debuted well before Gen Z’s arrival.Â
This phenomenon is supported by film and television series that both take advantage of and fuel Gen Z’s nostalgia addiction. Take Stranger Things, for example. Who remembers when “Running Up That Hill” by Kate Bush was all that and was playing on TikTok?Â
Another (more bleak) explanation for Gen Z’s nostalgia addiction is that due to an increasingly volatile political and cultural landscape, Gen Z is resorting to hiding under the covers of nostalgia in order to avoid the future. A study by the Urban Institute shows a growing cost of living, and a recent United Nations survey outlined rising tensions both at home and overseas. It’s understandable that young people seek stability and security in figments of the past, a time when such problems didn’t seem as troublesome as they are now.
However, we aren’t the first generation to experience profound political and cultural turmoil — and turn to nostalgia to cope. The 1960s were the backdrop to the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, political assassinations, and more. Baby Boomers turned to the past too, particularly medieval times in one example. As reported by Olivia Annabella, the “Mid-Century Medieval” fad took hold of fashion, music, and film from the mid-60s to the 70s, possibly because younger people desired to return to a simpler time. This trend was conflated with its later influence of the “hippie” style, so it’s easily forgotten.Â
The last possible explanation is that Gen Z yearns for authenticity. In an algorithmic and curated cultural landscape, it may feel like trends are being spoon-fed to you by decree of a faceless tech CEO. To combat this, young people turn to what they believe to be more authentic and soulful — the past — to paint their identities.Â
While dipping into past decades for inspiration is a fruitful pursuit, Gen Z must not burrow there permanently. It’s time for the young people of the 2020s to discover and embrace an identity unique to themselves, an identity that can usher in the courage to be the change they want to see in the world.Â
As a nostalgia addict myself, I admit that the advice above is vague, but I’m putting my best foot forward to somehow discover this identity for myself as well.Â
Now, the future is ours to define.
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