Study finds adults will be nostalgic for smartphones in 20 years

What will people be nostalgic for in 20 years? A new survey has revealed we’ll be longing for the era of smartphones, TikTok trends and bootcut jeans.

The poll of 2,000 US adults with subscriptions to streaming services revealed many classify “nostalgia” as something that reminds them of a specific event in their life (27%), their childhood (23%), their favorite book (16%) or a favorite TV show or movie (14%).

It also found 76% feel nostalgia while watching older movies and TV shows and are the most nostalgic for their tween and teen years, from 11 to 20 (57%).

When watching nostalgic content, many experience feelings of sentimentality (52%), happiness (43%) or a sense of longing (38%).

Commissioned by global streaming platform Plex and conducted by OnePoll, the survey showed how people feel the most nostalgic over fashion choices (49%), the dialogue and slang used (45%) and the actors (41%) in movies and shows of their past.

Nearly four in five (79%) agreed if they’re having a bad day, they’ll watch something that makes them nostalgic to feel better. Almost as many (75%) would willingly subscribe to streaming services just for content that makes them feel nostalgic.

Additionally, three in four parents surveyed said they’re likely to bond with their children over remade movies and TV shows and 58% have already shown them programs that make them feel nostalgic.

Over half of parents (54%) said they look forward to pointing things out on TV or in movies that they recognize but know their kids won’t.

Just as many said that’s already happened — kids have begun asking about flip phones (63%), cassette tapes (51%), CDs (47%), and VHS tapes and players (46%).

“Nostalgia and media go hand-in-hand,” said Jason Williams, Product Director at Plex. “Our favorite movies and TV shows exist as time capsules of culture. Fashion choices, dialogue, music — all of those things are reflected in what we watch, and it can make people remember the best parts of those eras.”

The survey also uncovered which decades Americans have the most nostalgia for, based on the movies and shows that debuted during those eras: 31% miss the ‘80s, 25% long for the ‘90s and 19% want to return to the 2000s.

From the 80s, people feel nostalgic for Cheers (47%), Die Hard (41%) and Big (36%). In the 90s, favorites were Baywatch (44%), Edward Scissorhands (37%) and Clueless (36%).

The Y2K era brought nostalgia for shows like Breaking Bad (47%), Cougar Town (32%) and CSI: Crime Scene Investigation (31%).

Respondents also shared the movies and shows recently released within the past three years that they think will make people nostalgic in 20 years: Severance (44%), Ted Lasso (43%) and The Last of Us (38%).

And with the holidays around the corner, respondents shared their favorite nostalgic holiday movies: Home Alone (51%), The Santa Clause (44%) and A Miracle on 34th Street (36%).

“What’s going to be really interesting is witnessing how trends from today will be perceived in the future,” continued Williams. “When we think of nostalgia, we don’t ever really think about future nostalgia. But it’s fun to try and predict what people will remember and cherish the most of the era we’re in, especially when it comes to TV and film.”

WHAT WILL BE NOSTALGIC 20 YEARS FROM NOW?

• Smartphones - 52%
• Trending music on TikTok - 43%
• Flare/bootcut jeans - 43%
• Working from home - 34%
• Crop tops - 22%
• VR/AR - 15%

Survey methodology:

This random double-opt-in survey of 2,000 Americans who subscribe to streaming services was commissioned by Plex between October 24 and October 25, 2023. It was conducted by market research company OnePoll, whose team members are members of the Market Research Society and have corporate membership to the American Association for Public Opinion Research (AAPOR) and the European Society for Opinion and Marketing Research (ESOMAR).