The Commodification of Nostalgia: Tracing the Past in Streaming Services

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Uluslararası Kültürel ve Sosyal Araştırmalar Dergisi (UKSAD)
Cilt: 11 Sayı: 1
The Commodification of Nostalgia: Tracing the Past in Streaming Services

The Commodification of Nostalgia: Tracing the Past in Streaming Services

Pages : 40-61

View : 49 | Download : 38

Publication Date : 2025-06-30

Article Type : Research Paper

Abstract :The concept of nostalgia, whose origins date back to the 17th century, was initially defined within the discipline of psychiatry to describe an intense longing for the past. Over time, nostalgia has alternately been the subject of criticism and interest within the scientific community. In the digital age, screens have emerged as one of the most prominent agents in reflecting feelings of nostalgia to society. In Türkiye, the strong emotional bond that audiences have formed with television and cinema productions has, in the 21st century, merged with digital platforms, and interest in works produced in the past has continued. This study focuses on Yeşilçam production companies that actively use YouTube as a screening medium, aiming to examine viewers’ nostalgic tendencies. In the first phase of the analysis, the quantitative parameters of the productions were taken into account: a total of sixty films—comprising the twenty most popular films from each channel—were categorized by genre. Among these, the three most popular were analysed using content analysis. The study adopted a mixed-method approach, and statistical data were processed using IBM SPSS Statistics 26.0. It was found that 70% of the most-viewed productions belonged to the comedy genre, followed by drama (13.3%), adventure (11.7%), and action (5%). It was observed that productions reflecting the past elicited a positive and reflective sense of nostalgia among viewers; the cast and content genre were identified as significant factors influencing viewership. Ultimately, the study concludes that prominent production companies of the period have transformed elements of collective memory into nostalgic commodities by utilising digital means.
Keywords : Nostalji, Dijital Kültür, Yeni İletişim Teknolojileri, Yeşilçam, YouTube, İzleyici

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