‘The good old days’: An examination of nostalgia in Facebook posts

• We identified newer topics of nostalgic longing on Facebook which are more pensive and reflective, indicating deeper levels of cognitive processing than general Facebook posts, which are more “in the moment.”
• Nostalgic reverie on Facebook contains both cognitive reflection and affective reactions.
• Emotions expressed in Facebook conversations tend toward the positive and often contain mixed emotions, - documenting the bittersweet nature of nostalgia.
• Nostalgic Facebook posts frequently discuss the past, but also frequently discuss the present. Users frequently compare the past to the present and utilize the past to reflect on the present circumstances of their lives, the nation and society.
• These findings have managerial implications as well.
• Companies can segment Facebook users based on their posts and then target these consumers using nostalgia-based behavioral advertising campaigns.

Humans are reflective, adaptive, and social. They recall the past, sometimes discuss these recollections with others and become nostalgic; yet, previous research has not examined nostalgia in social media. This paper investigates the expression of nostalgia within Facebook conversations. The specific themes of nostalgic longing and the expression of personal emotions are investigated in two studies. Study 1 examines 375,857 Facebook posts, and Study 2 expands on this by comparing a sample of 10,000 Facebook and 10,000 general (non-nostalgic) posts. Content analyses of these posts reveal significant evidence of nostalgic expressions in Facebook conversations. Cluster analysis reveals newer themes of nostalgic longing related to family, life stories, historical events (presidential elections, man on the moon and Gandhi), spirituality, appreciation of life, romanticism and fun. General posts tend to focus on spontaneous, spur-of-the-moment greetings, emotions, and day of the week. Nostalgic posts, in contrast, are more reflective, more emotional, and frequently include both positive and negative emotions, which is consistent with a deeper, bittersweet character to nostalgia. The concurrent utilization of past- and present-tense words in nostalgic posts suggests that, for some Facebook users, nostalgia helps interpret and navigate present circumstances. The research concludes with theoretical and managerial implications.