The rise of nostalgia in media is a recent phenomenon taking over the landscape, and our past isn’t just haunting us–it’s running the show.
By Carlos Soto-Angulo
Turn on the TV, scroll through a streaming service or walk into any movie theater, and beyond the dizzying smell of freshly buttered popcorn and the loud, obnoxious sound of children no older than nine screaming, you’ll find a weird yet familiar feeling–déjà vu. Movies from the ‘80s and ‘90s are being remade, sitcoms are getting sequels decades later and songs that sound like they belong on a Walkman dominate today’s charts. Nostalgia isn’t just a fleeting trend, it’s a cultural phenomenon deeply embedded in how we consume media.
The Numbers
The numbers truly tell the story: in 2023, Disney’s live-action remake of The Little Mermaid earned $570 million at the global box office. Netflix’s Stranger Things, with its ‘80s throwback aesthetic, was the most streamed show of 2022, amassing over 52 billion viewing minutes according to Nielsen. Meanwhile, music sales for vinyl records–a format largely considered obsolete just a decade ago, and one that I am quite fond of–surged to $1.7 billion in 2023, outselling CDs for the first time since 1987.
These trends reflect a growing appetite for the familiar. According to a 2022 survey by Morning Consult, 71% of Americans said they enjoy reboots or remakes of older movies and shows, with younger audiences driving the demand. Nearly 80% of Gen Z respondents expressed a preference for nostalgia-driven content, despite not being alive when many of these originals first aired.
Why It Hits So Hard
Nostalgia is more than just a warm, fuzzy feeling. Psychologists have found that it serves a purpose: providing comfort during times of uncertainty. In a world grappling with technological change, a pandemic, economic instability and the impending doom of a new election, nostalgia acts as an emotional anchor, tethering us to moments we perceive as simpler and safer.
“When people feel stressed or overwhelmed, they’re more likely to consume nostalgic content,” says Dr. Krystine Batcho, a psychologist who specializes in nostalgia, on a podcast hosted by the American Psychological Association. This emotional pull explains why media companies are investing heavily in reviving old favorites–even if they’re becoming new, boring and drab remakes, showing us the shell of a once prospering industry. It’s about capitalizing on our memories, our emotions and worst of all, our fears.
Business and Profit
For media companies, nostalgia is a gold mine. Familiar properties come with built-in audiences, reducing the financial risk of new productions. It’s no wonder these huge media conglomerates, like Disney, a pioneer of the nostalgia economy, continue to roll out live-action remakes of its animated classics. From Aladdin to The Lion King, these reimagined films collectively grossed over $9 billion worldwide.
Streaming platforms like Netflix and HBO’s Max have also leaned heavily into nostalgia. HBO brought back Sex and the City with And Just Like That, while Netflix resurrected Full House with Fuller House, which, by the way, debuted to over 14 million viewers in its first week. I won’t get into the iCarly reboot because it makes me upset. Even video games have joined the mess, with remastered classics like Final Fantasy VII and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time– one of my all-time favorites–topping sales charts.
Creativity; A Double-Edged Sword
But this reliance on nostalgia raises an important question: is it stifling our creativity? The more we look into the past, the less we seem to focus on creating original stories. A report by the Writers Guild of America found that only 25% of the 100 grossing films in 2022 were based on original concepts, with the rest being sequels, remakes or adaptations–Top Gun: Maverick was horrendously overrated, spending 5 weeks on the Billboard Top 200’s chart, which in my opinion is absurd. I digress.
Critics argue that this obsession with rehashing old ideas limits the scope of storytelling, preventing new voices and perspectives from emerging, and I’m inclined to agree. There comes a certain point where filmmakers and executives tell the same story enough times. Take the Scream franchise, for example. There is no need for there to be six movies retelling the same story over and over again. It’s boring. As an advanced society, we need to come together and stop this nostalgia-based resurgence of old media. Because as much as the ‘80s seemed awesome, we forget they had tough times too, and they had bad movies too, so to remake the ones we perceive as “good” is counterintuitive and regressive.
A Balancing Act…think “circus”
The rise of nostalgia in media speaks to something deeply human: our desire to hold onto what we know, even as the world changes around us. It’s why we find comfort in a familiar melody, laugh a jokes from a decades-old sitcom–albeit rarely, they’re not that funny–or tear up watching a rebooted version of a childhood favorite.
But as we binge-watch another reboot or dust off a vinyl record, it’s worth asking yourself: are we simply escaping into the past, or are we learning from it? Nostalgia can be a powerful tool, but only if it helps us create a better future, one that’s as vibrant and meaningful as the stories we hold dear. Because while it’s fun to revisit where we’ve been, the most exciting stories are the ones we have yet to tell.
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