Media Studies and Nostalgia

Media and communication studies offer a unique perspective on the multifaceted phenomenon of nostalgia. Not only are media fundamentally involved in how we know and make sense of our own and our collective past(s), but they also invite us to reimagine and recreate what once was (or could have been). Due to the continuous change of the media landscape, media may also become objects of nostalgic longing themselves. With digital technologies now permeating our everyday lives, the way we remember and how we express, communicate and share nostalgia has shifted. This chapter offers an introduction into the approaches media and communication studies have developed so far, and into the insights the field has contributed to our understanding of nostalgia in today’s media-saturated societies.