Born in the wrong era: How Stranger Things and Netflix’s binge-watching model evoke vicarious nostalgia in Generation Z viewers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.14288/cjur.v9i1.198570Abstract
Stranger Things (Duffer et al., 2016-present) is an ongoing Netflix original series that has gained significant popularity since it first aired in 2016. The show draws inspiration from classic science fiction films and manufactures a romanticized version of the 1980s, thereby evoking nostalgia in viewers who have and have not lived through the decade. This paper focuses on the vicarious nostalgia instilled by the show in its Generation Z viewers through its “authentic” recreation of the 1980s. This paper also considers how Netflix’s bingewatching model amplifies the transportive impact of Stranger Things by encouraging viewers to watch more episodes in individual sittings, thereby establishing a state of immersion which takes them further from the real world. Through this research, I argue that the enveloping and alluring environment produced by the show and its suggested method of consumption causes Generation Z viewers to experience vicarious nostalgia and a yearning for the 1980s. I conclude this article by recommending further avenues for research within the domain of vicarious nostalgia.
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