The construction of collective memory on social media: An analysis of nostalgic posts on instagram

Collective memory is a dynamic construct that reflects how individuals’ processes of remembering and interpreting the past are shaped within social frameworks. Traditionally examined through physical sites of memory, collective memory has, with the process of digitalization, transformed into a phenomenon that is reproduced on social media platforms. In this context, the study aims to examine how collective memory is constructed through nostalgia-themed content shared on social media. Within the scope of the research, a total of 180 posts obtained from 12 different Instagram accounts sharing nostalgic content were analyzed using qualitative content analysis. The content was coded based on nostalgia type, the emotions it evokes, and forms of visual representation. The findings indicate that nostalgic content is largely concentrated around media-based elements and everyday life practices. Emotionally, the content is predominantly structured around the feeling of longing, while in terms of representation, documentary/archival presentations and content involving collective call stand out. The findings further reveal that social media is not only a space where the past is stored, but also functions as a digital site of memory where the past is selectively reconstructed and collectively shared. In this respect, the study contributes to the literature on how collective memory is constructed in new media environments by discussing the role of nostalgic content in the production of collective memory on digital platforms