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Are we in our nostalgia era?

Is your nostalgic dream really just good marketing?

Nostalgia. That reminiscent, comforting feeling of something from the past that is familiar. We get it with different things, from fashion to TV shows and music. In the last few years, there’s been a huge rise in things like y2k fashion, old school technology like flip phones and digital cameras, and even Kate Bush has made it back into the charts.

So why do Gen Z care so much about old things? Professor Ryan Lizardi tells us more about how nostalgia works, when it’s bad for you, and how marketing is keeping old things alive.
We also hear how nostalgia is interpreted from Marie Tusiama in the Ivory Coast, who runs a successful y2k Instagram page.

And what does nostalgia mean in Portuguese and Brazilian culture? Well, we hear from someone else in the Gelbart family - Ben tells us about his favourite Portuguese word, ‘saudade’.

Instagram: @bbcwhatintheworld
Email: whatintheworld@bbc.co.uk
WhatsApp: +44 330 12 33 22 6
Presenter: Hannah Gelbart
Producers: Imogen James
Editor: Verity Wilde

Release date:

12 minutes

On radio

Boxing Day 2025 18:50GMT

Broadcasts

  • Boxing Day 2025 18:50GMT
  • Boxing Day 2025 22:45GMT
  • Saturday 03:50GMT

Podcast