Aimee Pearcy is a digital culture journalist. She covers digital trends and online communities.

People are craving comfort. Amid what can feel like a state of constant crisis – a layering of traumatic societal events – it can sometimes seem like we’ve lost a sense of scale and cohesion. In the face of this, the desire to retreat into nostalgia is more seductive than ever. 

Nostalgia Reimagined 

In a hyper-connected world, it feels like everything previously ‘insider’ is more available than ever: from behind-the-scenes access to the lives of public figures to travel experiences immersing people into worlds previously deemed unattainable. But while people embrace this community-based inclusivity and unprecedented access to their icons, they still yearn for touches of exclusivity to define their status.

As the age-old understanding of exclusivity is eroded, people are redefining status for themselves using a broad range of factors beyond solely economic ones. This new iteration of status is often based around increasingly niche and local signifiers – from luxury dupes to the rise of members clubs and closed-community spaces based on shared interests. Status is becoming a mode of belonging and connection with like-minded people.

People are erecting walls of their exclusive communities, relying on more subtle markers of identity. This is apparent with middle-class people fetishising working-class aesthetics, athletes turning to niche sports like padel, and social media groups organising around niche interests – spawning companies. As status-defined micro-trends on social media accelerate, brands face a challenge to keep up. If previously certain legacy items were automatically associated with exclusivity, now people are much more trusting of the UGC-defined vision of what status means. More than ever, speed, knowledge, inventiveness, and being plugged into the community determine what – and who – is in.

Insider Status

Lisa Eaton is a marketing expert, global educator, keynote speaker, and the founder of Fabric Academy, an education platform that empowers ambitious marketers and marketing teams to excel worldwide.

Gen Y (born 1982-1996)

Gen Z (born 1997-2010)

United States

Eating and Drinking

TV, film, and social media video

Social networking

Interview with Lisa Eaton conducted by the author

TikTok Creative Center

Unilad

Business Insider

The Guardian

Deloitte

Yahoo! Finance

McKinsey & Company

CNBC

The Drum

After a TikTok moment launched Stanley Quenchers to virality, the brand has strived to maintain its fans by embodying modern wellness and collectibles culture. Their popularity demonstrates how even established heritage products can acquire new meaning when applied to fresh cultural contexts.