""I am nostalgic for a time when I was present, when my generation was between 5 and 10, when we were still doing things in the real world," shared 19-year-old Nancy, a university student in London. "I don't remember what I watched yesterday on TikTok, but I remember what I did years ago when I didn't have a phone.""
""I felt so free then, not worried about anything like school, just playing. There was no social media. Now I worry about the world, about online hostility and my appearance," said Charlie, a 14-year-old reflecting on his childhood before smartphones."
""This digital nostalgia is unique to the digitally native Gen Z, and alien to previous generations like mine. It centres around what some call the 'Tumblr era' [between about 2011 and 2014], when smartphones and apps were still a novelty," explained Nona, a 25-year-old marketing professional."
In 2025, interest in nostalgia surged, with millions of Instagram posts and a significant increase in searches for 90s movies and Y2K aesthetics. Gen Z expresses a longing for a past without technology, valuing real-world experiences over digital distractions. Conversations with young individuals reveal a desire for the freedom and simplicity of their early childhoods, contrasting sharply with the pressures of modern life. This nostalgia is particularly tied to the 'Tumblr era' when technology was less pervasive, highlighting a unique sentiment among digitally native youth.
Read at Fortune
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