You have to admit—nostalgia feels great. And it is great.
Remembering a time before everyone (and probably everything) was stressed out is a good way to recoup mentally and spiritually. And we can all thank internet pages like I Love Nostalgia to make such mental retreats possible.
Scroll on to unlock some core memories if you’re old enough, and to learn something new about the past if you’re not. Also, read our interview with the creator of I Love Nostalgia, Ian Wright.
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If any of this sounds familiar—it’s because it should be. Bored Panda has covered this lovely page on numerous occasions (occasion one, occasion two, and occasion three just to name a few).
Essentially, it’s a page that celebrates some of the greatest decades of the last century through memes and throwbacks in picture form.
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I Love Nostalgia is the brainchild of one Ian Wright who posted ‘80s content on the regular until it got a bigger reaction than usual. The response from the internet was thrilling and thus the page was born.
The page features a variety of content—memes, queries, quizzes and the like, both in picture and video form.
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We reached out to the man behind the page, Ian Wright, to learn more about his take on the epic decades of the past century as well as nostalgia and pretty much everything in between.
Considering how history can be cyclical with fads and trends making comebacks, we asked Ian if these are temporary throwbacks or are they here to stay. And, well, it depends.
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“I will forever be biased about the ‘80s, but there does seem to be something quite special about them,” elaborated Ian. “I remember a bit of a fad for the ‘70s, but it didn’t really last long. I gauge this by looking at fashion, TV, movies and bars.”
“We didn’t seem to get a big ‘60s revival at all, we had a small ‘70s revival and then the ‘80s revival started roughly in the 2000s and it just keeps going and going.”
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He continued: “They keep trying to do the ‘90s but it’s not sticking. The noughties will soon be ready for a revival but again I don’t think it is special enough. There’s something clearly special about the ‘80s.”
“[The ‘80s are] not just nostalgic to some, but it is also inviting and magical to future generations. I was watching a YouTube video the other day about the Tetris video game world champions and they were mostly kids.”
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For context, the ‘80s were a period of neon style and fashion with bold and vibrant colors. It also gave rise to a good number of blockbuster movies and pop culture things like Star Wars, Indiana Jones, Back to the Future and the like.
Tech also took a huge leap with the Apple Macintosh and IBM taking over the personal computing market, all the while video game consoles like Atari and the NES were responsible for a myriad of core memories.
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“I have a theory about why the ‘80s might be extra special,” continued Ian. “It was the last generation where we were not ruled by big tech and social media. We were free. It was a decade of change and hope and I think people can see that. A very romantic picture has been created and it's infectious.”
“History will forever be admired and the cycle will go on forever. But some decades will stand out more than others.”
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And considering tech as well as the power of the internet, it seems like future generations will experience the ‘80s and other prominent decades that are so familiar to us.
Ian points out that his two kids, ages 9 and 11, already know all the big music hits from the ‘70s, ‘80s, and the 90’s, all thanks to TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram. The short video format often includes popular music and thus the kids seem to recognize them all and even sing to many of them
“It is quite amazing to hear, it is humbling. In a more futuristic response, I can see VR/AI allowing people to go back and really experience what it was like in their pasts or older people’s pasts.”
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Lastly, we asked Ian about how nostalgia is expressed online and if there were any changes in it meme-wise. He had this to say:
“There has been a significant change in how nostalgia is expressed online. There are not just pictures of things from the past, there are now lots of questions which entice people into nostalgia and make them interact.
“The memes are a mixture of the two. A picture of the nostalgic item or moment and then the text to get the right context and a reaction. I can tell you now that the most popular posts I now do on X are questions."
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So, if nostalgia is hitting you hard, it’s a good idea to hit the I Love Nostalgia X page and enjoy some happy memories.
And, also, be sure to share your takes, stories, or nostalgic suggestions for music, movies, and other cultural masterpieces in the comment section below!
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