Nostalgia in the new media age: Old Laik Days as a memory place

The key concept in explaining Turkey's social and political transformation in the 2000s is the "old Turkey." The discourse of the old Turkey brings a comparison between the past and the present. This comparison becomes frequently used both in everyday life and in politics. While the problems of the past serve a function in idealizing the present, there are also those who yearn for the past. This situation indicates the coexistence of different images of the past. This coexistence implies a social aspect of remembering. Testimonies and narratives influence individuals' perspectives on the past. Thus, the group to which an individual belongs shapes their way of remembering. What is remembered, forgotten, and ignored will influence individuals' and groups' perspectives on the past. The subject of the thesis is the Old Laik Days account on the social media platform Instagram, which generates nostalgia by invoking the past in a positive tone. In this sense, the account is considered as a memory place. With the opportunities brought by new media technologies, nostalgia finds a wide dissemination space and becomes popularized. On the other hand, the possibility of mutual interaction in the new media environment allows nostalgia to stay alive. Therefore, the aim of the thesis is to reflect on the relationship between new media and nostalgia. The aim of the thesis is to approach the nostalgia emerging from the Old Laik Days account as a reflection of today's crises. In this sense, nostalgia is seen as a product of the present, rather than the past. Nostalgia is based on the idea that the golden age has been lost. Thus, the study aims to reach the traces of the golden age(s) and losses of Old Laik Days. On the other hand, the study also involves reflecting on the impact of this emerging nostalgia on the future. Is the nostalgia that emerges in a form of mourning, or does it play a decisive role in constructing the future?