She says the appeal of the 2010s isn’t just about what was happening culturally, but also about where Gen Z was developmentally. “Gen Z nostalgic for their own childhood and they aren’t that old to begin with, so if they’re feeling nostalgic for a time that was seven or eight years ago, they were only in high school or junior high school,” Batcho explains. She calls what’s happening for 20-somethings today a “foreshortening of time.” Batcho, Ph.D., a licensed psychologist and professor at LeMoyne College in Syracuse, New York, who began researching nostalgia in the mid-1990s, agrees. In terms of psychological distance between now and before the pandemic, it just seems like a long time away.” “For me, it has felt that this pandemic has been going on way longer than almost two years. “The pandemic has messed with people's perceptions of time,” Abeyta explains.

Some of the periods being romanticized happened less than six years ago, but given recent circumstances, it makes sense that young people are already looking back.

Maybe living more in the moment, and just enjoying yourself.” These were just times when you felt less stressed and concerned about the future. “Stress and uncertainty motivates people to reach for times in their life that weren’t stressful or so fraught. All of this is really stressful, and on top of that you have to navigate a pandemic,” Abeyta says. “When you're in your early 20s and you're trying to figure out who you are, you’re trying to get into your career, get ahead perhaps you’re on your own for the first time. “I feel like we all love things that are familiar because COVID right now is so unfamiliar.” Gen Z nostalgic for their own childhood and they aren’t that old to begin with.Īndrew Abeyta, Ph.D., an assistant professor of social psychology at Rutgers University-Camden who specializes in the psychological benefits of nostalgia, says this generation’s sudden preoccupancy with nostalgia has many factors, including the pandemic. “Things that have already happened are very comforting and familiar,” Melero explains. A more specific “2010s nostalgia” search has over 731 million views. The simple #nostalgia has 22 billion views and is a “trending meme,” according to TikTok’s special landing page for the hashtag. As of December 2021, #2014 has 1.2 billion views on TikTok, while #2016 has even more at 2.1 billion. Whether it’s cozying up and rewatching the entire Twilight saga on Netflix, checking out old MTV VMA award shows, or logging into Tumblr for the first time in seven years, 20-somethings have been eager to revisit the not-so-distant past of their teen years. The demand for nostalgia on TikTok is booming - and there’s one time period in particular that’s generating a lot of popularity: the 2010s, and especially 2012–2016. I got comments like, ‘Oh my God Tumblr 2015 is coming back!’ ‘Please bring this back!’” Melero says. Apparently, so does everyone else: “I didn’t even describe the time period but everyone just understood. Melero ( is from Long Island, New York, and vividly remembers the distinct trends of the peak Tumblr era, when things like American Apparel, Arctic Monkeys, and choker necklaces were everywhere. By the time her eyes meet the camera at the end, her realization is clear: she has unintentionally emulated her 2014 self. Water in her hand as Two Door Cinema Club’s “What You Know” plays. Mouth agape, she glances down at the blk. Dressed in a jean jacket, a crop top, and ripped black jeans complemented by dark eyeliner, Melero stares at herself incredulously in the mirror. “How did I end up here again?” The text over 20-year-old Vanessa Melero’s TikTok reads.

Early 2010s nostalgia weebsite