Manufacturing Nostalgia in the Digital Age: A Foreverism Perspective

ABSTRACT Many scholars argue that we are experiencing the era of “retro”—nostalgia‐driven marketing and consumption phenomena reinforced by digital technologies. However, existing research lacks a critical analysis of nostalgia in contemporary markets and of how digital content, tools, and environments transform retro consumption experiences and alter their nostalgic appeal. To address this gap, this conceptual study challenges the conventional view of nostalgia by applying the concept of foreverism. We discuss how the three practices of foreverism (preservation, restoration, and foreverisation), facilitated by digital technology, are enacted, how they transform the properties of nostalgia, and their implications for marketing, and consumer psychology and behavior. This conceptual study provides instrumental knowledge of how foreverisation shapes individual behavior in digital gaming and beyond, and benefits companies and consumers in an era of digital persistence. The study outlines future research directions to advance research on retro marketing and consumption within an evolving digital landscape.