Anemoia: nostalgia for the past or a cry for help?

Have you ever experienced an urge to live in the past? Maybe a time when your parents or grandparents experienced their teenage years?Or possibly a specific period in which your favorite TV show characters live? If that’s the case, it is most likely you are experiencing anemoia. The term “anemoia” was created by the American author and neologist John Koenig in 2012. It refers to a sense of nostalgia for a time or place that has never been experienced in real life. In recent years, Generation Z – people born between 1997 and 2012 – has become acquainted with this feeling. While it may seem like a simple appreciation for how the past is portrayed in media or described by older relatives, anemoia may be the result of dissatisfaction with the modern world.

Too much screen time

One reason young people long for the past is the evolution of technology. The brains of teenagers are getting “polluted” by a constant stream of information, and the rise of fast-paced videos has negatively impacted everyone’s ability to concentrate. While going on a digital detox is always an option, these technologies and applications are used at school and in workplaces. For example, right now in Latvia all schools use a specific learning website that covers theory of all school subjects. While it is great to have a studying platform, many teachers use it during their lessons to create tests and homework. Not only do students have to deal with technical problems like the system not accepting correct answers, but it also adds more screentime to the average student’s daily life. Another real-life example is that teachers sometimes send books digitally, as not all schools are equipped with the necessary materials. In contrast, the 1980s – a decade frequently romanticized by teenagers – offered a world without mobile phones, where people appeared more present and enjoyed the moment. Educational materials were available in paper format and no one had strained eyes from their mobile screens.

Need for connection

Another factor is the decline of social interactions. The popularity of social media means that peers often communicate through text rather than speaking. Some schools in Latvia and other countries in Europe are fighting the problem of children using their phones during lunch breaks and even lessons. The situation may occur in the form of children standing next to each other, but not even lifting their eyes from the colorful moving animations on their phone. When children become addicted to this device, they most likely struggle in their teenage years too, when they’ve moved on to idolizing influencers and celebrities. This often leads to depression, as teenagers scroll through the lives of others instead of gaining their own life experiences.

Artifical isn’t always beneficial

Furthermore, social media has given humans new forms of anonymous bullying, a problem increased by the rise of Artificial Intelligence. The use of AI to create “deepfakes” and spread misinformation has caused damage to people’s trust, leading many to question the reality of everything they see online. Schools are spending their money to buy AI detectors, which at first might seem great, but they aren’t always correct. Some teenagers, especially those who plan on studying in universities, are panicking as they are scared that their end-of-high-school report papers might get detected as AI because of one spelling mistake or the form of how they have constructed their sentences. This causes ambitious teens with scholarly plans to want to scream, “I wish AI didn’t exist!”.

The pop culture effect

Anemoia is also caused by an obsession with aesthetics. Popular media often advertises a stylized version of a specific period in time. For example, the show Stranger Things sparked an intense interest in the 1980s, focusing on colorful fashion, bold hairstyles, and carelessness. More recently, we saw an example of simple nostalgia at the start of 2026, with everyone predicting the year would become the new 2016 – a year that had such features as Instagram photos with pink tints and a romanticized dream of driving through Los Angeles. Even celebrities, along with their fanbase, show signs of anemoia. An example of this would be Lana Del Rey. While she was born in 1985, her songs often resemble the aesthetic of the time periods from the 1920s to 1960s. From Gatsby-like elements to “Old Hollywood” imagery in her music, she invites her fans to come and romanticize the past together. For younger people, the same feeling might be felt by listening to Britney Spears. She is claimed as an icon of the late 1990s and early 2000s and embodiment of the Y2K aesthetic. She wore colorful crop tops and low-rise jeans and showed how fashion can be colorful and interesting. Today, many of the fashion trends cause people to identical. How many times has one seen a teenage girl with a black top and blue high-rise wide-leg jeans? Probably more than one time. With this, people are starting to find their own styles and even buying vintage or thrifted clothes just to find themselves again, which is one of the solutions to the problem and also possibly one of the reasons why anemoia is impacting the world positively.

Main problem – romaticization

The main issue that needs addressing is romanticization. It is necessary for the youth to recognize that every era has its own advantages and disadvantages. Media is often designed to make us forget our surroundings and feel better rather than to provide historically accurate facts.

However, anemoia is not entirely negative. It can help individuals identify what is missing from their lives. Today, many teenagers are reclaiming their freedom by deleting social media and embracing analog technology. By using instant cameras, journaling, writing physical letters, or switching to flip phones, they are finding ways to communicate in real life and gain authentic experiences. It’s also worth mentioning that many of the problems are caused by teenagers themselves and can be just as easily fixed, for example, by meeting friends in real life instead of writing text messages, developing their own style instead of wearing what’s “in” at the moment, and so on.

Sources:

Holzmann, M. (2023). Longing for what one has never known: Examining the influence of anemoia, nostalgia, and optimism on mood (Bachelor’s thesis, University of Groningen). Retrieved from: https://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/2235/1/Anemoia_MiraHolzmann_Meerholz_BachelorThesis.pdf

Photo by Esra Nur Kalay. Pexels.com : https://www.pexels.com/photo/various-vintage-products-selling-in-shop-7543679/

Koenig, J. Anemoia. The Dictionary of Obscure Sorrows. Retrieved from: https://www.thedictionaryofobscuresorrows.com/concept/anemoia

Kulczynski, A., & Hook, M. (2024, February 13). The power of nostalgia: How vintage typography can build emotional connections, influence attitudes, and boost willingness to pay. American Marketing Association. Retrieved from: https://www.ama.org/2024/02/13/the-power-of-nostalgia-how-vintage-typography-can-build-emotional-connections-influence-attitudes-and-boost-willingness-to-pay/

Lenhart, A., Ling, R., Campbell, S., & Purcell, K. (2010, April 20). Teens and mobile phones. Pew Research Center. Retrieved from: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2010/04/20/teens-and-mobile-phones/