As the NYT reported today, Geneneration Y’s nostalgia for the 90’s is in full swing. The article attributes this in part to 9/11 + our bad economy = young folks taking refuge in the halcyon days of youth. Agreed.

But what I’m also wondering about is how the internet accelerates this process. Is the lifecycle in which content goes from hot to not to hot now shorter? And given the ability to find/connect with anything, does this enable Gen Y to simply never leave behind elements of their youth?

I believe that networked identity creates distributed identity such that past elements of me at age 10, 16 and 22 can all exist simultaneously, moreso than ever before. WIth that in mind, I’m quite curious to see if the concept and execution of nostalgia will mutate with Generation Z.