Nostalgia Box
Names of the students involved
Sophie Leonhardt, Joelle Kurz, Iris Yildirim, Gabriel Romano
Links to the blog and social media channels
What’s it all about?
Do you still remember those afternoons spent with cassette recorders, colourful rainbow spirals and homemade iron-on bead pictures? The days when ‘SillyBandz’ were all the rage and you’d secretly have ICQ open whilst doing your homework? For many of us, the period between 2000 and 2020 was more than just childhood or adolescence – it was our own little, imperfect but wonderful world.
Back then, everything seemed somehow easier. Less regimented. More in the moment. But if we’re honest, not everything was better either. Our first steps on social media changed our world – sometimes for the better, sometimes with a bitter aftertaste. Trends came and went; some were crazy, others left their mark.
With ‘The Nostalgia Box’, we want to look back together with you – not just through rose-tinted glasses, but with an open mind. We’ll recall the things that shaped us, celebrating the quirky, the beautiful and the forgotten. And we’ll take the time to reflect on developments that still influence us today.
This is your space. Our little time capsule. Join us on a journey back to an era that somehow feels like home.
Implementation
At the start of the semester, we got together as a group and brainstormed which topics we found appealing. We came up with the ‘Nostalgia Box’ idea relatively quickly. When selecting topics, it was important to us to have a certain variety so that everyone could write about something different – whilst still maintaining a consistent theme. We have four different sections (Trends, Mental Health, Throwback Thursday and Social Media) into which we can categorise our interviews, reports and articles. Before starting to write, it’s important to carry out some preliminary research. In our case, however, we found it easy to draw insights from our everyday experiences. Finding people to interview was hardly a problem, as we were able to speak to people from every age group for our pieces. Within the group, communication and collaboration went very smoothly. We worked together to identify topics and edited each other’s texts – without prejudice or pressure.
Result
“Back to Size Zero – Why is ‘skinny’ suddenly back in fashion?”
“Swipe, Match, Love? – How online dating is shaping our generation”
“Global Hype, Local Limits? – When Trends Meet Culture” and
“The Power of Trends – More Than Just Hype?”
reflect the essence of our website.
Gaining greater confidence in writing and working with a content management system were two key takeaways from the project. Teamwork and coordination with others were also strengthened, and we were very fortunate to have such a great group.