Nostalgia often means people miss a certain period in their lives, yet much of today's nostalgia is not about that. According to one study, Milennials and Gen Z are the most nostalgic generations, with 14% of Milennials and 15% of Gen Z preferring to think about the past rather than the future.
Gen Z seems to be obsessed with aesthetics from the ‘90s and the ‘00s, even if they didn’t live through those periods. Thinking that life was just better during that period might come from their parents’ nostalgia. For example, a 2024 YouGov survey revealed that 60% of Britons of all ages say life was best in the 2000s, with the 1990s following closely as the second-best decade in their minds.
For Gen Z, these decades might symbolize the last “golden years” before technology and social media “ruined” society. Going back to gadgets, clothes, and media from the ‘90s and the ‘00s is their way of fighting overconsumption and loneliness, and of chasing a reality that’s, in their eyes, somehow better.
On Spotify, “nostalgia” is the 7th most-streamed mood, with descriptors like “love” and “happy” well below. But music is not the only area where young people are craving nostalgic vibes. Current fashion trends borrow heavily from Y2K, and in a recent report, Gen Z listed keeping up with trends as their main reason for shopping second-hand clothing.
Once, having the world and all forms of entertainment at our fingertips on our phones seemed like the dream. But today, it seems like we’re trying to escape our phones more and more, looking for ways to go back to vintage physical media. Although almost every phone has a camera nowadays, Gen Z is fighting digital fatigue by opting for old-school cameras. Point-and-shoot, film, and instant cameras are hugely popular again, with the global digital camera market having reached $5.5 billion in 2025.
Many people around the world feel like they’re spending way too much time on their phones. According to one Irish survey, for example, 21% of consumers no longer use wearables, 19% ditched some sort of digital device, and 17% have said “goodbye” to ebooks. For some, the solution is to get the so-called dumbphone: a simple, basic phone in the style of an old-school Nokia. Dumbphone sales in the U.S. grew significantly in recent years, reaching 2.3 million units in 2023 alone.
Some forms of media have gained new meanings in consumers’ minds. Whereas in the past, vinyl, cassettes, and CDs were the primary way to listen to music, nowadays they’re more like novelty items or collectibles. Among the three, CDs have seen the biggest surge in popularity in the first half of 2026, with 16.3 million units sold in the U.S. Still, vinyl records remain the most popular music medium, with 21.8 million units sold in the first half of 2026, while cassettes are in third place with 205,000 units.
What do you feel the most nostalgic about, Pandas? Are the ‘90s and the ‘00s your favorite decades? Let us know in the comments what you miss about these years the most! And if you want to reminisce about the good ol’ days some more, be sure to check out our previous publications about the wild ‘90s and this compilation of astounding moments of history.
