Like Being a Kid Again! Returning to Childhood by Rewatching Television Ads from the Past on YouTube

What is it about?

Older people secretly yearn to be kids again and social media platforms like YouTube give them unprecedented access to video content from the past. AI analysis of thousands of YouTube comments suggest that watching and discussing television ads from childhood helps viewers reconnect with their childhood selves and re-establish the inherent value of their past. Discussing the past with others on social media may be a kind of existential palliative that allows people to validate their lives with others who also remember the ‘good old days’.

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Photo by Christian Wiediger on Unsplash

Photo by Christian Wiediger on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Modern life is full of changes, some technological (the internet, smart phones, social media), some social (household composition, increased mobility, decline of religion). These disruptive changes often result in psychological disconnections with the past. Memories of childhood and adolescence can seem remote and unconnected to the present moment, causing psychological distress. Viewing video material from the past on social media and discussing it with others may be a relatively easy way to relieve this existential pain.