Beki's incoherent thoughts on Nostalgia

Note: This is a pretty in-coherent ramble that may be difficult to comprehend.

I watched this video on YouTube about old windows themes and how lacking in customisation the newer versions of Windows are. I wholeheartedly agree that Windows 10/11/whatever looks pretty bland and I do prefer Windows XP’s colourful interface and Windows 7’s skeuomorphism. Yet, the comments section made me feel strange.
There were many viewers who were reminiscing about not just the previous versions of windows but the past in general. They often described the 2000s and 2010s as the “good times” and said “I wish I could go back.” Whilst these people are likely right in regards to technology (or at least our relationship with tech) was more positive back then than it is now, I question the notion that life in general was better back then.

Wow, I wrote that really formal-ly.

But it reinforced something that I have been noticing for the last few years; nostalgia is rampant, especially in online spaces with ‘gen-z’ users.

Frutiger aero/metro rising in popularity, constant remakes of classic films/t.v. shows (ahem…Disney…cough cough), y2k fashion trends, etc. It feels like the current cultural landscape is cannibalising itself.
Yes, I realise how hypocritical I sound since my website is hugely inspired by the early 2000s web. I guess that’s more of a reason for me to better understand why this is a trend?

It begs the question: Why?

I think there are legitimate reasons why people, particularly those of gen z, want to ‘go back’ to this era. The last few years have been notably chaotic and arduous to deal with and people use the familiarity of their childhood to escape all the anxiety of the future. But hasn’t the world always been stressful? I mean, there were crises that occurred in every decade. For example, the 2000s started off with the y2k panic, 9/11 and the proceeding ‘war on terror’, as well as the 2008 recession. People have always had problems to escape from, so why does it feel different now?

Is it the ease of accessing old media with the internet? Is it now easier for large corporations to profit off of people’s nostalgia?

I have no clue.