Whether they've listened to music on vinyl records or captured memories with Polaroid cameras, Gen Zers have found comfort in nostalgia during the pandemic. According to research, this emotional affinity for eras not personally experienced is called 'communal nostalgia'.

Screen time may have soared during the pandemic, but after over a year of doomscrolling and binge-watching, people are taking a more intentional approach to entertainment. They’re embracing slower narratives that facilitate exploration and deliberation, from podcasts that promote considered conversation to nostalgic reboots offering wholesome escapism.

Cultural memory is getting shorter, with mass digitisation causing people to seek solace in the recent past. But it’s not solely about innocence – ‘nowstalgia’ is fuelled by a desire to reimagine and right perceived wrongs. So, how is a meme mindset impacting Gen Z’s media consumption and style?

Independent bookshops in France are riding the wave of their pandemic-era revival as the government introduces a minimum delivery fee for online retailers. The policy change is likely to fuel people’s desire to support local businesses that provide analogue entertainment to contrast their digital lives.