Why Nostalgia Works

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Nostalgia used to be a neurological illness.

It was 'invented' in 1688 by a physician named Johannes Hofer in an attempt to put a name to an obsessive ruminating about returning to one's homeland.

Now, it's an awesome way to make someone stop scrolling and click on your content.

And it's for the same reason:

Nostalgia evokes a powerful emotional response.

It's a paradox of life. When we are young, we long to grow up; when we are older, we long to be young again.

Even if you had a bad childhood, there is a time in your life you look back on as your 'glory days', when you were happiest and most carefree.

This is when you form core memories, and often, the culture of that time is a reminder of that feeling.

Personal, social, and cultural nostalgia have many proven psychological benefits, including increased self-esteem, feeling more connected to the world around you, and a boost in mood. It has also been shown to help people through difficult life transitions.

So now you know why you feel some of that thrill when you see a TikTok comparing the linguistic nuance of Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z.

Now let's get this working to grow your social media.

My mission for you: think of your core audience demographic including age, gender, location, lifestyle.

For this example I'll use myself: a 42-year-old man who grew up in the Midwestern suburbs as a video game and pop culture nerd.

Now think of what that person would have liked as a teen, the most common time to develop 'core memory' nostalgia.

For me, that would be the late 90's: AOL Instant Messenger (I was 'pezkingpin'), Blockbuster Video, Super Nintendo, my Discman with anti-skip technology, frosted tips, Austin Powers impressions.

How the lens of your brand can celebrate those memories through content?:

• Makeup gurus creating the 'Early Britney Spears' look
• Comedians quizzing people on the lyrics to the 'Fresh Prince of Bel-Air' theme
• Musicians making beats to the AOL sign-on sounds
• TikTok Shop creators showing 'Best Gifts for 90's Kids'
• Or major Hollywood producers making big-budget movies from our childhood memories (already happening)

Think of how you can work a bit of nostalgia into your content, specifically into your metadata, to either 'stop the scroll' or 'earn the click' for those looking to relive those memories fondly!

That took 2 minutes. You have 8 minutes left. Remember the good times and grow 1% right now!

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About the Author

Phil Ranta, is the COO of Fixated, a content and gaming studio building IP around creators, a LinkedIn Top Voice in Innovation & Tech, and has been creating content for the internet and building internet businesses professionally for nearly 20 years, starting on MySpace and riding trends to the present. He was the Head of Gaming Creators, North America at Facebook, the first network lead at Fullscreen, the COO at Studio71, and spent 10 years as a working comedian (including 2 years on cruise ships). He's a husband, a dad of two littles, and an insufferable digital media wonk.

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