Powrót do przeszłości V: pandemia. Nostalgia a świat postpandemiczny

One of the phenomena which scope expanded during the period of restrictions related to COVID-19 was a social turn towards the past, observed especially in social media, identified as a nostalgia trend. Understood as a sentimental longing for something that has already passed that causes sadness or pleasure by remembering something and wishing it could be experienced again, nostalgia was one of the tools for dealing with the hardships and uncertainty of the pandemic times. Individual users of social media willingly undertook communication focused around memories, expressing regret for times long gone that had been seen in their idealized form as easier and happier. This trend has been effectively used in marketing focused on nostalgia. It was only effective when it evokes positive memories and evokes good feelings in the recipients that encourages the more to reach for the product or service offered. This specific turn towards this period of time was used as a tool that allowed not having to face terrifying moments and often difficult present, and even more so the unknown future. Thus, uncertain of the future and terrified of the present, the pandemic consumer was all the more susceptible to peaceful and happy images from the past, which both algorithms and commercial entities gave him. In these circumstances, one can point to a specific management of pandemic nostalgia by entities that are essentially external to the individual user.