The Visual Images of the 1990s in Instagram: A Commercialization of Nostalgia

Abstract

The image of the 1990s in the Russian public discourse is controversial: this historical period of transition from socialism to a new social system is considered as a time of chaos and crime, but also as a period of openness, opportunities and new consumer culture. The paper presents preliminary results of a study of visual materials from Instagram that in this or that way refer to the 1990s. The analysis of Instagram accounts dedicated to the 1990s, of hashtags related to the topic and of their co-occurrence, as well as the classification of the posts based on their content are presented. The 1990s turn out to be used in Instagram as one among other topics of post-socialist nostalgia, employed by the bloggers to increase the number of followers and likes. Nostalgic feelings refer to teenagers’ experiences mainly related to everyday practices, consumption and popular culture.