Neon Nostalgia: Why We're Stuck in the 80s (and Why the Future Freaks Us Out)

Ever find yourself scrolling through Synthwave playlists, admiring those shoulder-padded jackets, or lusting after a vintage Roland Juno? You're not alone. We're living in a full-blown nostalgia boom, with the 80s (even more so than other recent decades) making a serious resurgence. But why? And why, conversely, does the future often feel like a terrifying, unpredictable abyss?

Well, one might argue that we as human beings have a strong tendency to chase what we know, rather than what we don’t know. What we don’t know is likely something we can’t control and as such, we fear. So, we get caught up in ‘The Comfort of the Familiar’.

Let's face it: the past has a proven track record. We know how the 80s turned out (mostly). We have the music, the movies, the fashion, all neatly packaged into a cultural time capsule. Whether we were there physically or whether we are being influenced by Retro Media influences, old Sci-fi flicks, Jehri Curls, Hi Top fades, Mullet cuts, Mohawks, hipster fashion statements or whatever.

This familiarity breeds comfort.

Let's be bold and put a sticker onto it and adamantly call it ‘The "Golden Age" Illusion Syndrome’ as our memories tend to filter out the bad and amplify the good. We remember the vibrant colours, the catchy tunes, and the carefree vibe, often forgetting the economic anxieties and social tensions thinking of the cold war era of the time. 

In 1983 Holland, a band called ‘Doe Maar’ created a song called ‘The Bomb’ romanticising a situation of hiding under buildings and hurrying love ‘before the bombs will rain down. The 19th of June 1982 even saw Secretary of State Alexander M. Haig Jr. opening a new round of high-level Soviet-American talks with Foreign Minister Andrei A. Gromyko, hoping to include a discussion of a possible meeting later in the year between President Reagan and Leonid I. Brezhnev. Why I remember this, I don’t know. I was a kid but remember it well as things got heated and we in the Netherlands were scared that those bombs wouldn’t quite reach those picking a fight across the pond and we’d be left in the crossfire.

So, it’s more like A Sense of Identity: For those who lived through these eras, revisiting them is a way to reconnect with their youth and a sense of belonging. It's a comforting reminder of simpler times.

Furthermore, the Aesthetics of Analog can be explained as ‘The resurgence of vintage synthesizers and analog equipment. And it isn't just about sound; it's about the tangible, tactile experience. In a digital world, the warmth and imperfections of analog gear feel refreshingly authentic again. So, let’s embrace the past as we embrace Cultural Recycling. Fashion, music, and art are cyclical. Each generation borrows and remixes elements from the past, giving them a fresh spin meanwhile enhancing and updating fragments slightly. With new technology and higher bandwidths comes a pallet of new gadgets and gizmos.

Brands like Behringer get to rekindle proven concepts at a fraction of a price once paid. This gives access to a whole new generation that walk a similar path. No matter how new our view of the world today is, how we interpret the here and now, more reissues of vintage synths will steer us towards that same designative road that The Depeche Modes, Kraftwerks, Cabaret Voltaires and the Frank Zappa’s of yesteryear paved for the Hipster crew that now see themselves as ‘Early Adopters’.

So, for sake of argument, let’s call The Future A ‘Blank Canvas of Uncertainty’. While the past offers comfort, the future is a vast, unknown territory. This uncertainty can be daunting, even terrifying. For instance, picture the Rapid Technological Change where The pace of technological advancement is accelerating, making it difficult to predict what the future will hold. AI, climate change, and other global challenges are also creating the ever-growing sense of unease.

There’s the Fear of the Unknown where we as Humans are wired to seek patterns and predictability. The future, by its very nature, is unpredictable, which can trigger anxiety and fear. Let’s not forget to mention Dystopian Visions: Popular culture often paints a bleak picture of the future, filled with technological dystopias and environmental catastrophes. Small changes might be manageable even for the greatest of optimists, but mostly these narratives can contribute to a sense of pessimism.

And why everyone in charge tells us to ‘Dream Big’, The Sheer Scale of Change which entails thinking about the long-term future, in a time where the world changes so fast, is arguably a daunting task.

Can Predictability Offer a Clearer View?

The question arises, can we ever truly predict the future with any degree of accuracy? And can predictability, if achieved, offer a less biased view?

Looking at Trend Analysis and Forecasting, we know that the bright minds and experts use data and statistical models to identify trends and predict future outcomes. However, these predictions are often limited by the complexity of human behaviour and unforeseen events. Also, there is Scenario Planning. So instead of trying to predict a single future, scenario planning explores multiple possible outcomes, allowing us to ‘prepare’ for different possibilities.

The Importance of Historical Context:

Understanding the patterns and cycles of the past can provide valuable insights into potential future trends. And The Role of Imagination is also a strong given as Science-fiction/Science fact and speculative fiction can help us imagine potential futures, both positive and negative, and spark conversations about the choices we need to make today.

So overall. Looking at Balance, ultimately, the key may lie in finding a new balance between nostalgia and innovation. While the past can provide comfort and inspiration, we must also embrace the challenges and opportunities of the future. By learning from the past and engaging with the present, we can create a future that is both meaningful and sustainable.

Perhaps, as we integrate more data and understand the patterns in the world, our view of the future will become less of a scary unknown, and more of a series of potential outcomes. But until then, we'll keep enjoying the synthwave and shoulder pads, while also looking forward, with a mix of trepidation and hope, to the world yet to come.