Article on Nostalgia tied to loneliness 1 1

[malvin]

Interesting article. 

I don't agree with all of it but it starts with how Marvel movies and remakes are popular due to nostalgia, then ties it to loneliness. Hopefully it's not behind a paywall (I'm a subscriber)

https://www.businessinsider.com/tv-movie-reboots-sequels-spinoffs-you-are-what-you-watch-2023-10?_gl=1*hbilbp*_ga*NDA4NTkxODE2LjE2OTgwODkzNTU.*_ga_E21CV80ZCZ*MTY5ODE2MzMwMS4yLjAuMTY5ODE2MzMwMy41OC4wLjA.

Malvin

[thehumantorch]

"If the key driver of reboots is nostalgia — then the key driver of nostalgia is loneliness."

The key driver of nostalgia is the desire to connect to the past.  Nostalgia might be an indication that someone's current life isn't perfect and they prefer the past memories.

"The answer of why nostalgia is able to get its hooks so deep into younger generations may come down to another emotion: loneliness.  Around the same time as the emergence of reboots, studies found that young people were reporting levels of loneliness that had not been seen in decades. As we became more disconnected from the people around us, we sought out comfort in other ways."

I found this part strange.  I think of nostalgia as something an older person would experience not a university student.  I guess young people can feel nostalgic but I just don't think it's a big driver for most university students.  This study would be a lot more interesting if it dealt with older adults.

In general I suspect there are a lot of lonely people out there.  For many people I suspect a lot of their connections are virtual.  You might have 10,000 online friends but how many really know you and are true friends.  For older people if you live long enough most of your friends will have passed.  And just in general, there are a lot of people who's relationships have broken down, does anyone stay married anymore, and that can be very isolating.

 

[MAR1979]

Interesting premise. Not sure I totally agree but it does explain a lot of behaviors and actions of those in a bunch of hobbies...

[Will_K]

Article:  Loneliness -> Nostalgia -> Movie reboots

Me: Lack of originality -> Greed -> Movie reboots

[malvin]

On 10/24/2023 at 11:16 AM, Will_K said:

Article:  Loneliness -> Nostalgia -> Movie reboots

Me: Lack of originality -> Greed -> Movie reboots

Now that I think about it more, is a better order:

Greed -> lack of originality -> Movie reboots

Malvin

[Rick2you2]

On 10/24/2023 at 7:15 PM, malvin said:

Now that I think about it more, is a better order:

Greed -> lack of originality -> Movie reboots

Malvin

Add the TV reboots like Frazier and the upcoming American re-writes of K-dramas to the list (“Crash Landing on You” and Squid Game are planned, for example). 

[tth2]

On 10/25/2023 at 9:35 AM, Rick2you2 said:

the upcoming American re-writes of K-dramas to the list (“Crash Landing on You” and Squid Game are planned, for example)

Americanizing a foreign TV show is nothing new.  "House of Cards" and "Three's Company" are just two examples of British shows that were redone for American audiences.   

[PhilipB2k17]

I wish someone would reboot Space:1999. Call it "Moonbase Alpha" and jettison the dateline. 

In fact, I have a terrific idea for it. (Which I will only share with whomever owns the TV or film rights).

[Dr. Balls]

"If the key driver of reboots is nostalgia — then the key driver of nostalgia is loneliness."

I am probably more nostalgic than most people I know, and I can tell you the single-most driving factor to why I look to days gone by is QUALITY.

Whether it's quality of what I'm reading, watching, buying, eating or engaging in - modern iterations pale in comparison to "how things used to be". And yes, that's pretty old timey-sounding, but my hobby is one of the few things that allows me to engage with other people - and my hobby is filled with nostalgia and things from yesteryear.

Reboots? Those are likely being done because the studios lack creative vision or foresight to develop strong properties. The author of this loves to lay it on the doorstep of the nerd, but if you're looking to ask why we keep seeing reboots, you just take a look at the idiotic CEOs of these media companies, who - seriously - only care about the bottom line. If a reboot of Lion King moves the chains 1%, they're going to make it. It has nothing to do with (apparently) lonely, nostalgic people.

[Dr. Balls]

On 10/24/2023 at 7:35 PM, Rick2you2 said:

Add the TV reboots like Frazier and the upcoming American re-writes of K-dramas to the list (“Crash Landing on You” and Squid Game are planned, for example). 

I LOVE Frasier, but the reboot is lacking the spirit and zing of the original. Kelsey Grammar is actually quite good by episode 2, and he slides back into Frasier Crane very well. The rest of the cast is kind 'meh'. We've been watching old with new, and the contrast of quality is like night and day.

[MattTheDuck]

You have to be careful with people jumping on these alleged negative social trends.  Plenty of "greed" there as well.

[comix4fun]

On 10/25/2023 at 9:20 AM, Dr. Balls said:

"If the key driver of reboots is nostalgia — then the key driver of nostalgia is loneliness."

I am probably more nostalgic than most people I know, and I can tell you the single-most driving factor to why I look to days gone by is QUALITY.

 

I used to think the same way. My stuff, My OLD Stuff, My OG Stuff, was so much higher quality than the "junk" they put out today. 

Then I went back and watched some of those movies, tv shows, and read those comics.....and, boy oh boy, if they don't stink on ice. 

I love them today for the memory of how I felt at the time I first saw them, with really young eyes, filling in all the gaps in quality with my imagination. That feeling is worth revisiting, even knowing the best thing about them was their original impact on my young mind. 

[jjonahjameson11]

On 10/25/2023 at 1:49 PM, comix4fun said:

I used to think the same way. My stuff, My OLD Stuff, My OG Stuff, was so much higher quality than the "junk" they put out today. 

Then I went back and watched some of those movies, tv shows, and read those comics.....and, boy oh boy, if they don't stink on ice. 

I love them today for the memory of how I felt at the time I first saw them, with really young eyes, filling in all the gaps in quality with my imagination. That feeling is worth revisiting, even knowing the best thing about them was their original impact on my young mind. 

ALF? 🤣

[comix4fun]

On 10/25/2023 at 1:06 PM, jjonahjameson11 said:

ALF? 🤣

Alf holds up because it was straight farce. 

But the stuff that took itself seriously? Woo...some rough stuff, especially on TV.  
Stuff I loved...Buck Rogers, Six Million Dollar Man, almost all Sci Fi on TV in the 70's and 80's it's hard to watch unless you set your viewing mode to "camp".
I still dig it, but I have to watch them tuned into my inner child to maintain the proper attitude. 

[Dr. Balls]

On 10/25/2023 at 11:49 AM, comix4fun said:

I used to think the same way. My stuff, My OLD Stuff, My OG Stuff, was so much higher quality than the "junk" they put out today. 

Then I went back and watched some of those movies, tv shows, and read those comics.....and, boy oh boy, if they don't stink on ice. 

I love them today for the memory of how I felt at the time I first saw them, with really young eyes, filling in all the gaps in quality with my imagination. That feeling is worth revisiting, even knowing the best thing about them was their original impact on my young mind. 

Have you eaten a Twinkie lately? It's but a mere shade of it's previous magnificence.

[comix4fun]

On 10/25/2023 at 2:02 PM, Dr. Balls said:

Have you eaten a Twinkie lately? It's but a mere shade of it's previous magnificence.

Yeah, I hadn't extended my nostalgia to food...but you're right there's a long list of stuff that's really taken a slide.
Twinkies are bad. 

The worst offender?  Chips Ahoy. Somewhere along the line they went straight trash. 

[Dr. Balls]

On 10/25/2023 at 1:04 PM, comix4fun said:

The worst offender?  Chips Ahoy. Somewhere along the line they went straight trash. 

Oh, that makes me sad. I haven't had a Chips Ahoy cookie for at least 20+ years.

I was speaking more to all things in general - low quality merchandise has a lower price point, which is a given - but the overall feeling is that you get less for more nowadays.

[Rick2you2]

On 10/25/2023 at 9:32 AM, tth2 said:

Americanizing a foreign TV show is nothing new.  "House of Cards" and "Three's Company" are just two examples of British shows that were redone for American audiences.   

I am aware of that. Same with All in the Family. The point is simply another example of Greed. 

[Rick2you2]

On 10/25/2023 at 10:20 AM, Dr. Balls said:

"If the key driver of reboots is nostalgia — then the key driver of nostalgia is loneliness."

I am probably more nostalgic than most people I know, and I can tell you the single-most driving factor to why I look to days gone by is QUALITY.

Whether it's quality of what I'm reading, watching, buying, eating or engaging in - modern iterations pale in comparison to "how things used to be". And yes, that's pretty old timey-sounding, but my hobby is one of the few things that allows me to engage with other people - and my hobby is filled with nostalgia and things from yesteryear.

Reboots? Those are likely being done because the studios lack creative vision or foresight to develop strong properties. The author of this loves to lay it on the doorstep of the nerd, but if you're looking to ask why we keep seeing reboots, you just take a look at the idiotic CEOs of these media companies, who - seriously - only care about the bottom line. If a reboot of Lion King moves the chains 1%, they're going to make it. It has nothing to do with (apparently) lonely, nostalgic people.

If you like quality, let me recommend the Korean shows on Netflix as well as Wiki Rakuten. I am addicted now, and don’t mind the subtitles.

[mattn792]

On 10/25/2023 at 9:25 AM, Dr. Balls said:

I LOVE Frasier, but the reboot is lacking the spirit and zing of the original. Kelsey Grammar is actually quite good by episode 2, and he slides back into Frasier Crane very well. The rest of the cast is kind 'meh'. We've been watching old with new, and the contrast of quality is like night and day.

I've only seen the first episode so far, and I enjoyed it, his buddy at Harvard being my favorite new character.  If I remember right, the first season of the original show also took a minute to get rolling, so stay optimistic.  I'm disappointed that the new show is stuck on Paramount+, but the first two episodes are also on Prime, so hopefully the others do the same eventually. 

I can actually get on board with the premise of the article.  Ever since I met my prettier half, and especially since our daughter was born, I've found my connection to my comic collection steadily eroding.  I've definitely been much less interested in the content, and much more interested in the value, while my buying has severely curtailed.  The same can be said for seeing the new movies, or even rewatching the old ones.  The interest just isn't there.  I journaled about this phenomena in regard to the comics a while back, but I was attributing the lack of interest in the movies more to just getting older.  That, and my hatred of Rise of Skywalker!  But looking back, both the movies and the comics provided a convenient escape from a life that I wasn't particularly happy with (until I addressed some long standing mental demons), and my practice marriage was more of a chore than a relationship.  Bottom line, I didn't have much to look forward to on a given day, and under those life circumstances, I did feel quite lonely.  Notably, the loneliness also applies to the duration of the practice marriage, and there are few things worse emotionally than feeling alone while you're with somebody.

Now that that's all changed, life's priorities changed with it.  Granted, shows are still a blast to attend, but on a different level of enjoyment.  Maybe it's time for another journal entry!

Edited October 26, 2023 by mattn792