Bored Panda got in touch with Jake Laycock, the page’s creator and admin, and he was kind enough to answer some of our questions. Firstly we were curious to hear more about how and why the page was created in the first place. 

“Like many people, I was looking for a pandemic project. Something to pass the time, and this seemed like a fun idea! It originally was just a Twitter page, posting random nostalgic images, and once it started to take off a little, I thought I could branch out to Instagram and TikTok as well,” he shared. 

As of writing, “No Context Nostalgia” has over a quarter-million followers on Instagram alone. So we wanted to hear Jake’s take on what exactly would draw so many people to this kind of content. You know... life is tough, and the older you get, the tougher it can feel sometimes. I always looked at nostalgia as this sentimental affection for a point in time in all of our lives.”

“It helps to unite us to that authentic self and reminds us of who we have been, compared to who we feel we are today. I know that sounds a bit hoity-toity, but sometimes all it takes is seeing a toy or a discontinued snack you loved as a kid to bring a little joy into your day,” he shared with Bored Panda.  

Of course, nostalgia is a pretty subjective experience, so we wanted to know what were some of the internal rules and guidelines for what gets featured or rejected. “I do my best to feature a variety of life experiences. So, wherever you grew up, or whatever kinds of toys you played with, or shows you watched, hopefully, you can find something that pops up in your social feed that resonates with you.”

“I always feel like the more specific, the better. Really diving deep to unlock a memory of something you thought you forgot about but is locked away in the back corner of your mind somewhere,” he added. No doubt, as you scroll through, you might be suddenly remembering all sorts of parts of your youth you didn’t even know you still carried with you. 

Jake left us with some parting thoughts. “I get tons of submissions from people in my DMs, and I love to see them! People from all over the world are looking to share something that they remember that no one else seems to, and they want to share because it means a lot to them. I'd like to encourage people to continue to share things that they feel mean a great deal to themselves, as it may mean a great deal to others as well.” So if you want to keep seeing this sort of content, follow “No Context Nostalgia” on Instagram.

The old (perhaps nostalgic) adage that “truth is stranger than fiction” can also be said about nostalgia. The term itself was first coined in the 17th century, to describe the very intense homesickness felt by Swiss mercenaries fighting throughout Europe. Physicians described it as a medical condition, with bouts of depression and melancholy. Thankfully, the modern equivalent is a tad bit nicer. 

The word itself, stripped of this meaning, comes from the Greek νόστος (nóstos) which simply means homecoming. It’s quite easy to see how returning to a familiar place after a long time away would fill you with an intense feeling of nostalgia. No doubt many folks returning home for Christmas went through a bit of this at the time. 

It’s fortunate that these days we have a lot more to enjoy when thinking about the past. Some research indicates that engaging with these sorts of memories, when pleasant, can noticeably improve a person’s mood. This is a useful tool during trying times to help a person pull through them by “replacing” their current feelings with positive feelings they had in the past. So if you perhaps feel a bit guilty about scrolling through content like this, remember, it can actively make your life feel just that little bit better.