Nostalgia and Why We Need It

By: Emma Booth 

Growing up in an age where media and technology began to oversaturate society, my childhood had no shortage of entertainment. I was strictly limited to PBS KIDS shows due to our lack of cable television, but with unrestricted YouTube access, I found loopholes.  

It’s not much of a difference from the happiness I find through TV and the internet now. The media I consumed was a large source of joy in my life. Media became my escape from the hardships of reality, like when a girl in my class said my shorts looked like granny panties, or when my teacher assigned me two coloring sheets instead of one.  

When I’m reminded of shows I adored, I get a nostalgic feeling. Shows like “The Electric Company” and “Doctor Who,” and YouTubers like Miranda Sings and Shane Dawson, although now problematic, give me an indescribable fuzzy feeling: nostalgia.  

I’ve been sitting with nostalgia more recently as I transition into adulthood and rewatch my old favorites. It feels strange to dwell on the bittersweet mixture of happiness and sadness I find myself in again and again. 

It’s difficult to describe nostalgia because it’s contradictory, subjective, and complex. It's hard to distinguish if I feel pleasure when I rediscover old joys, or if it's an overwhelming sadness because those joys now live in the past. 

But those things I used to enjoy may not really be in the past. I can still get that kid feeling. 

I remember media in a specific way because of the way I consumed it. Memory can often get clouded by nostalgia, causing one to view the past through rose-colored glasses. When I watched the “Barbie Mermaidia” movie for the first time as a child, I was in awe of how new and unique the animation was.  

As an older teen, I watched it again in an attempt to replicate the magic and was pleased to remember how ridiculous Bibble's persona was and the idea of sea plants changing the tone of your voice. However, there's something about seeing the movie now that ages me, since I notice how old the animation looks in comparison to modern films.  

The nostalgic nature of old media is one surrounded in a context of fantasy and whimsy, both from the themes involved and because I was watching them oblivious to the struggles of the world many adults were dealing with; struggles I wouldn't start to deal with until the coming years. 

I want to hold on to what makes me feel safe, and I yearn for a time where I felt safer. A time when I didn’t have to worry about my taxes or what I was going to do with my life post-graduation, and I could just be a kid. Now I use these forms of media as an escape from having to think about those issues, but I often wonder if it’s unhealthy to do so or if it’s holding me back. 

Sometimes I feel like reverting to nostalgia is like my addiction or keeping me trapped in the past. That longing for a bygone era prevents my evolution. Am I really getting older and growing as a person if I keep watching kids' shows? As I realize that growing older means appreciating the years you have to show for, I believe escaping into old media can be a potent tool to look for as a ray of hope during difficult times.  

Rewatching an old YouTube video I cherished, or a show I forgot about, has helped lighten my darkest moments. Moments where I forget who I am and feel lost in a sea of Temple students walking to class on Liacouras Walk on any given weekday. Moments where I let my anxieties tell me what I should and shouldn’t do. Moments where I tone down my “muchness” for others. 

Children's media allows me to reminisce about the silly, carefree girl I used to be and how I must be the greatest version of myself for her. 

I don’t think it should be shameful to enjoy the whimsy of childhood media as adults. Knowing those pieces of media will still be around whenever I need to relax away from life’s chaos gives me comfort.  

I am able to revisit “Doctor Who” episodes and recall how my dad, sibling, and I used to eagerly await each new episode every week. I can rewatch “Electric Company” episodes that taught me new words and giggle at the humorous skits and celebrities who made random appearances. 

Those sensations haven’t vanished since I’ve gotten older; they’ve grown. Nostalgia creates a space where I can look back at old versions of myself who watched that thing for the first time and reflect on what I want to be now.