I can’t discuss lost media without talking about people’s obsession with the past. The reason why I was so fascinated with the topic was mostly due the longing/nostalgia aspect, which I think will help me visually.
In “Finding the future in digitally mediated ruin: #nostalgiacores and the algorithmic culture of digital platforms” (Brown et al., 2024), the authors explore how social media platforms monetize feelings of nostalgia and reminiscence and turn it into profit by showing users an endless scroll of glimpses from the past. They argue that digitally mediated nostalgia is a product of the algorithm as these social media platforms are designed to recycle content to keep us engaged and scrolling. The authors mention two different types of nostalgia: reflective and restorative. Reflective nostalgia is the idea of mourning what could have (or should have) been, and yearning for the vision we once had for the future that is drastically different than the future we actually have. Restorative nostalgia, on the other hand, is the concept of finding safety and comfort in the past and wanting to go back to a “simpler time”.
Brown, et al. (2024) suggest that algorithmic nostalgia is a political matter as the dissatisfaction with the present whether it’s tied to restorative or reflective nostalgia implies that the capitalistic ideology promised us a future that we never got and we are subtly critiquing the current political climate by using social media to express how much we miss the past and want to go back. The irony in that online expression is that people are posting their longing for the past on social media apps that use user engagement to feed the algorithm and keep the scroll cycle going. So, users are essentially supporting the very thing they are criticizing by voicing their opinion on these platforms.
While this article isn’t about lost media, it makes some very important point regarding people’s feelings around nostalgia and nostalgic content on the internet. I also love their methodology and I’m interested in doing something similar. They employ a digital ethnography and they focus on people’s emotions around the topic, which I think would work well for my topic as well.
This week, I watched some of the LinkedIn Learning courses I found to figure out how I want to edit my video. I also took some b-roll and started working on a first draft script for my video. I don’t have any committee members yet so I know this week I need to start getting in touch with some professors. I feel a little stressed and a little behind but I know it’s going to be okay!
References
Brown, M. G., Carah, N., Tan, X. Y. (Jane), Angus, D., & Burgess, J. (2024). Finding the future in digitally mediated ruin: #nostalgiacores and the algorithmic culture of digital platforms. Convergence, 30(5), 1710–1731. https://doi.org/10.1177/13548565241270669
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